Eeny, meeny, miny mo, hit your MP on the toe... or whatever the rhyme says. That's one way to select your MPs in this Thursday's UK election.
Another would be to turn your back while they number each other like you did when you played football in the playground.
Another, better way might be to watch the leaders' debates on the telly and vote for the one with the leader that was best at remembering the names of audience members.
If none of these float your goat, the party manifestos are a good place to start. It's quite time consuming to try and read all of these, especially with just a day or so to go till polling, so while you'll all be interested in a myriad of issues, we've tried to help by compiling the different parties' policies on animal welfare.
So, in no particular order, here they are (with links to the full manifestos).
Labour
The Labour manifesto talks of “valuing nature for everyone” and a variety of environmental measures. More specifically, the Manifesto states:
“We have banned foxhunting and animal testing for cosmetics and tobacco, and we will bring forward further animal welfare measures. We will campaign internationally to end illegal trading in ivory and to protect species such as polar bears, seals and bluefin tuna, as well as for an EU-wide ban on illegally logged timber, banning it domestically if this does not succeed.”
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats promise “enhanced protection for animals”, and offer a pioneering proposal for an Animal Protection Commission:
“Liberal Democrats believe that ownership and use of animals is a responsibility that should not be abused.
We will:
- Merge existing quangos to establish an Animal Protection Commission to investigate abuses, educate the public and enforce the law; it will also be able to publish reports on its own initiative.
- End testing of household products on animals.
- Work for the proper enforcement of regulations for the transportation of live animals across all EU member states.”
The Green Party of England and Wales
They have comprehensive policies on animal protection, including measures to support smaller scale and organic farming, to phase out all forms of factory farming and to reduce the environmental impact of meat and dairy consumption.
The Greens state “We share the world with other animals and are not entitled to ill-treat or exploit them” and also pledge to:
- Ensure that the European ban on seal imports is implemented fully; ban the import of real fur products, but ensure that real fur is clearly labelled until a ban is in place; press the EU to ban fur factory farming; bring in non-lethal alternatives to shooting seals at fish farms.
- Maintain the ban on hunting with dogs and extend to other blood sports, including the use of snares, and oppose badger culling.
- Immediately ban causing harm to animals (including but not only primates) in research, testing and education, and invest in the development of alternatives to animal experiments.
- End live animal exports and limit journey times for all animal transport.
- Implement a full ban on the production and sale of eggs produced from hens kept in battery cages (including ‘enriched’ cages).
- Protect biodiversity and human and animal health, always adopting the ‘precautionary principle’ with regard to any alleged benefits of new technologies such as genetic modification, cloning, xenotransplantation and nanotechnology.
- Regulate the companion animal trade including a ban on the import of so-called ‘exotic pets’.
Animals Count
Their manifesto focuses on animal welfare and social justice, stating that “[t]reating people, animals, and the environment with respect is our key priority. The party’s key animal welfare policies for the general election are:
- Eliminate the failed practice of animal experimentation
- Redirect subsidies from livestock and fisheries farming to plant-based agriculture
- Phase out farming practices with poor welfare consequences for animals
- Establish an ‘NHS for animals’ to better protect the health of our animal companions
- Act on the known link between animal abuse and domestic violence, with increased penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty
- Extend the current ban on hunting with greater enforcement and stronger penalties for abuse
- A ban on ‘puppy farms’ and a ban on the sale of animals in all retail stores
- Promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyle initiatives in schools, GP practices and the workplace
- Educate children about the importance about compassion and respect towards all living beings
Read the Animals Count manifesto here
Plaid Cymru
The Plaid Cymru manifesto does not mention animal welfare at all.
Conservative
The Conservative Party makes a general commitment to improving conservation and welfare:
“We will protect and improve the UK’s natural environment, and pioneer new schemes to improve conservation. We will push for reform of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies to promote sustainable farming and fishing. We will promote high animal welfare standards and ensure that government procures locally-produced food wherever possible[…]”
There are Conservative commitments to being “vigilant” in ensuring the welfare of animals:
“We will promote the highest standards of farm animal welfare. We will work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research. We will promote responsible pet ownership by introducing effective codes of practice under the Animal Welfare Act, and target irresponsible owners of dangerous dogs.”
The Conservatives also pledge to oppose any resumption of commercial whaling: press for a total ban on ivory sales and the destruction of existing stockpiles; and to promote new green spaces and wildlife corridors to help animals adapt and thrive in the face of climate change.
Inexplicably, however, the manifesto suggests that hunting wild animals is part of civil liberties, placing a pledge to bring back foxhunting in the section entitled Restoring our civil liberties:
“The Hunting Act has proved unworkable. A Conservative government will give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a government bill in government time.”
Read the Conservative Manifesto
UK Independence Party (UKIP)
UKIP also makes a broad commitment to animal welfare but supports hunting:
“UKIP believes all animals that share our planet deserve to be treated compassionately by humans and should be spared unnecessary suffering.” The manifesto refers to a full Animal Welfare policy to be found on its website, but this has not yet appeared. Elsewhere in the document, however, UKIP pledges to allow “county referendums to reverse the hunt¬ing ban at the local level”.
The Scottish National Party
Their manifesto contains no specific reference to animal welfare. In related areas, the party says that it supports the transfer of a power to legislate on the use of air weapons and it intends to provide a “strong voice” for the “economically important” fishing and agriculture sectors. The party considers that whitefish discards “represent a moral and environmental obscenity and stopping these discards is one of the keys to securing a more prosperous and sustainable future for Scots fishermen”: no mention is made of the welfare of the fish that are killed in this way.
The Scottish Green Party
Thier manifesto contains no specific reference to animal welfare. On related matters. The party wants to protect habitats and diversity and promotes sustainable and organic agriculture as means of achieving this. They are concerned about the power of the “vast retailers” that “have so much power that they can tell us what to eat, tell farmers what to grow, set the prices and let others carry the cost of their wasteful practices”. Scottish Greens support “well-regulated, sustainable aquaculture” and would put stricter controls on industrial fishing.
Read the Scottish Green manifesto
Scottish Liberal Democrats
They promise a Fair Deal for Consumers that includes a pledge to end the testing of household products on animals. In European terms, they would amend fisheries management and would “work for the proper enforcement of regulations for the transportation of live animals across all EU member states”. On environmental grounds, Scottish Liberal Democrats want to encourage the production of organic and reduced-input foodstuffs, and would support clearer labelling of foodstuffs including country of origin.
Read the Scottish Liberal manifesto