Where do the parties stand on animal welfare?
As the major political parties release their manifestos in the lead up to the 2017 General Election, we’ve assessed them for inclusion of eight key opportunities for the welfare of dogs and animals used in experiments in the United Kingdom.
If your local candidates represent parties that do not uphold the animal welfare values you would like to see in Westminster, please contact them, ask their personal opinion on these issues, and tell them you want their party policy to change.
Some parties may not yet have published manifestos for GE2017 at the time of presenting this data. Please check for updates later.
Read more about our opportunities for animal welfare in GE2017.
Puppy Farming
| Party |
Ban third party puppy sales |
Protect progeny of dogs |
Publish a list of licensed breeders and sellers |
Strengthen laws for online pet classified sites. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservatives | No | No | No | No |
| Labour | Yes | No | No | No |
| Liberal Democrats | No | No | No | Yes |
| Scottish National | No | No | No | No |
| Sinn Féin[1] | No | No | No | No |
| Plaid Cymru | No | No | No | No |
| Ulster Unionist | No | No | No | Yes |
| Green Party of England and Wales | Maybe[2] | Yes | No | Yes |
| UK Independence Party | No | No | No | No |
| Alliance | No | No | No | Yes |
| Animal Welfare Party | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Animal Experiments
| Party |
Repeal section 24 |
Fully ban household product ingredient testing on animals |
Increase funding for alternatives to animals in experiments |
Ban breeding, use and importation of dogs and cats for experiments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservatives | No | No | No | No |
| Labour | No | No | No | No |
| Liberal Democrats | No | No | Yes | No |
| Scottish National | No | No | No | No |
| Sinn Féin[1] | No | No | No | No |
| Plaid Cymru | No | No | No | No |
| Ulster Unionist | No | No | No | No |
| Green Party of England and Wales | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| UK Independence Party | No | No | No | No |
| Alliance | No | No | Yes | No |
| Animal Welfare Party | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes[3] |
[1] Sinn Fein MPs abstain from their seats at Westminster.
[2] The Green Party has not specifically stated they will ban all third party puppy sales, however they have specified their aim is to “end puppy farming by banning the sale of young puppies and kittens unless the mother is present”, which would significantly prevent third party puppy sales.
[3] The Animal Welfare Party calls for an end to all harmful animal tests, and breeding of all laboratory animals.
Disclaimer
This information is to be used only as a guide to seeking further information on party policies in the lead up to the UK 2017 General Election. Naturewatch Foundation is an apolitical charity and provides this information for the purposes of informing on two key areas of concern for animal welfare, and to provide an indication of the comprehensiveness of party policies relating to animals. The quantity of animal welfare policies does not necessarily indicate the subjective quality of policies. We encourage all voters to read all party policies and election manifestos relating to animals and non-animal issues, and consult their local candidates, before making an informed choice at the polling booth. This list of parties is not exhaustive.
Policies of parties may change or be clarified before and after the general election, and not all manifestos were released at the time of initial publication, therefore this table may be updated periodically. Please contact joanna@naturewatch.org if you would like an update made.