Tag: livestock

Bishop of St Albans asks about illegal movement of meat and cattle products

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the need to protect against illegal movement of cattle and meat products during outbreaks of foot and mouth disease on 16th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: I congratulate Defra on the decisive action it has taken. I, too, have memories of the former outbreaks, travelling with my father to farms where what happened was devastating. Part of the risk comes from illegal movements of cattle and meat products. What additional briefing and support has been given to border and police forces to try to protect against this? Also, are there any additional resources for the mental health and well-being of our farming community, who will find this a huge threat to their livelihood?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about cases of livestock sickness

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 21st November 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of cases of bluetongue in Hertfordshire.

Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab, DEFRA): Defra acted quickly to contain bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) when the first case this season was detected on 26 August, implementing zones with movement controls on susceptible livestock to prevent spread. Disease control restrictions have been adapted in response to new findings and there is now a single restricted zone (RZ) covering the east coast and some inland areas in England, including Hertfordshire where there have been 3 cases to date.

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Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill: Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich welcomes legislation

On 21st February 2024, yhe Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich gave a speech during the second reading of the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill, expressing his support for the bill and stressing the importance of maintaining animal welfare standards in the UK:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, I draw attention to my entry in the register of interests. It is a pleasure to speak in this debate, and I welcome the Government’s commitment to improving the standards of animal welfare in the UK. I add my thanks to the Minister, as he begins his new role, and to those who have campaigned for so long, particularly the noble Baroness, Lady Fookes, whose birthday it is today.

I have spoken to farmers and farm vets in Suffolk, and they are clear that the exporting of animals for slaughter is not an acceptable practice, and I fully support the Bill. They raised with me a couple of related points, both of which have been made already, but I will briefly refer to them. First, we must ensure that holding British farmers to high welfare standards does not result in the undercutting of our farmers by cheaply produced imported meat that does not meet the same standards required of UK farmers. I hope the Government are able to provide farmers with the assurances they need on this matter.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about arrests connected to livestock worrying

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 11th July 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 13 June (HL8317), how many (1) arrests, and (2) prosecutions, were made in connection to livestock worrying in the last four years.

Lord Benyon: Defra does not hold this information. Data on arrests and prosecutions may be held by individual police forces or by the courts.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about government support for farms affected by animal attacks on livestock

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 13th June 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support farmers who suffer from livestock worrying.

Lord Benyon (Con): The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals, as well as the financial implications.

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