Animal Welfare Party may not be the best-known of our political choices, but it’s been around for quite a few years, and even has a few local councillors. It’s a fringe party (so won’t ever be the government) but abroad, elected MPs have managed to create national policy changes to help our fellow species. In fact, it’s quite strange that countries abroad have had more political success than in England, where we are famed for being batty about all animal friends.
The party does have some other social and environmental policies. But in a nutshell, the main ones are the obvious:
- Having a cabinet department and minister for animal welfare
- Ending all factory farming (including fish farms)
- Using Co2 gassing to stun farmed animals (more humane – it’s okay for Muslims and Jews to be vegan, so banning religious slaughter would not go against religious beliefs).
- Compulsory licensing and breed legislations for pets
- Ending the sale of pets in shops (and the exotic pet trade)
- Introducing animal protection to school curriculums
- Increasing penalties for animal abuse
- Closing all ports & airports to stop animal trafficking
- Ending the commercial racing of dogs & horses
- Taking tougher action on wildlife crimes
- Ending the badger cull and all ‘recreational’ hunting
- Working to make our roads safer for wildlife
Celebrity supporters of Animal Welfare Party include:
- Dr Brian May (Queen guitarist and badger welfare campaigner)
- Twiggy (ex model and actress)
- Dr Jane Goodall (primatologist)
- The (late) poet Benjamin Zephaniah
Leader Vanessa Hudson is a media producer/director who is also a keen vegan runner and has lived abroad in Australia and Hong Kong. She says we should look to the fair voting systems abroad to show what can be done, and calls on younger people especially to join her in trying to change the voting system, so they can get more MPs, like abroad.
Deputy leader Jane Smith is a former town councillor and psychologist, who runs the Cheshire group of Compassion in World Farming. She has successfully campaigned for her local town council to become the first to ensure wildlife tunnels and native hedges must be in place for new planning projects, and also worked to secure an official toad crossing, an end to a local badger cull and a ban on goldfish being given as fairground prizes in the town.
Not just campaigning for animals, she also lobbied to help settle Syrian refugees in the area, and secured funding for a burial site to be protected and re-planted with native woodland trees.
animal welfare political parties abroad
New Zealand has joined many other countries, in launching its own animal welfare party. Animal Justice Party has been launched to help create a more compassionate and just society for all animals, through promoting ethical treatment and better legal protection of all species.
From campaigning for humane research to banning animals being exploited for entertainment, the party also wants the government to create a Commissioner for animals, a simple initiative that could do huge amounts of good. This law is also supported by organisations across New Zealand who work on the frontline of animal welfare, and are sometimes powerless to act, due to inadequacies in the law, in a country known for its higher animal welfare standards than most other countries. An independent Commissioner for Animals would be able to propose legislative changes and enforcement, where basic requirements were being ignored or compromised.
Australia’s Animal Justice Party
Australia’s Animal Justice Party campaigns for tougher animal protection laws, and increased penalties for abuse. The manifesto includes recognising all animals as sentient beings, promoting plant-based diets, outlawing international use of animals for sport, exhibition and ‘entertainment’ and outlawing research and experimentation, and promoting human research. The party’s MPs have secured millions in funds for domestic abuse victims to find safe havens with pets, and to stop cruelty in many industries. Candidate Bronwyn is planning to introduce legislation to ban live exports (recently animals ‘cooked alive’ on a stranded ship, then those surviving had to endure a second trip). She also plans to improve animal cruelty prevention laws and protect national wildlife.
Young MP Georgie Purcell MP is a colourful character. She paid her way through college working as a stripper and pole dancer, to take a double degree in law and communications/politics. She has had a lot of media airtime, but says her background means she’s good at dealing with very difficult people! She met her husband at a protest against live animal exports, and is shaking up the establishment in Australia. More power to you, Georgie!
