Swindon Advertiser Column: We Will Not Tolerate The Poaching Of Elephants

When I was younger, I used to love watching Wildlife on One. For those of you who don’t remember it (or are too young to have watched it), for over three decades Sir David Attenborough brought animals from every corner of the world into the corner of living rooms across the nation.

These half hour windows on the natural world have stayed with me. Since being elected to Parliament eight years ago, I have actively campaigned to improve our understanding of wildlife & the environment, and to strengthen the protections in place; from helping to secure a ban on bee-killing pesticides, to campaigning against the appalling practice of whaling.

Every change we make that offers greater protection to wildlife & the environment is vital. That’s why I was delighted this week when the Environment Secretary published a new law to protect the world’s elephants by banning the sale & import of ivory.

The Government’s Ivory Bill will be the toughest in Europe and amongst the toughest in the world. It will prevent the poaching of elephants by introducing a total ban, with narrow and limited exemptions, on activities involving ivory in the UK that could directly or indirectly fuel the poaching of elephants.

Poaching not only kills elephants and robs future generations of the opportunity to see these wonderful creatures; it also helps fund crime & terrorism.

I led my first debate on the issue almost five years ago and this new law is testament to the work of exceptional organisations including the wildlife charity the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

We are sending the clearest possible message – this country will not tolerate the poaching of elephants for their ivory, and we are taking the strongest actions to end this abhorrent practice.

The ivory ban is just the latest in a series of measures designed to protect wildlife & the environment that I’ve helped champion in Parliament and which Ministers are bringing into law.

In the past 12 months, we’ve banned the use of pesticides which were killing bees, published a draft Bill to increase the maximum sentence for animal cruelty from six months to 5 years, and only last week it became compulsory for slaughterhouses to install CCTV after shocking instances of neglect & abuse were uncovered.

However in spite of these successes, I’m still pushing Ministers to go even further in protecting our wildlife here in the UK.

I’ve been working alongside TV vet Marc Abraham to end the awful practice of puppy farming. We’re calling on the Government to pass “Lucy’s Law” – introducing compulsory breeding licenses for breeding of dogs (including so buyers are able to see the puppy with its mother), stopping online sales where buyers are not aware of conditions the dogs were bred in, and ending all third party sale.

Residents have backed this campaign in large numbers, and this week during a debate in Parliament the Minister confirmed he is actively looking at the first change in the law since the 1950s.

I’m also backing a complete ban on ending the live exports of animals for fattening & slaughter; a practice which causes great harm and distress. Whilst it is only happening to a very small number of animals, I believe we need to put a stop to these practices in order to maintain our country’s strong animal welfare standards.

We share our planet with a variety of animals, great & small, and it’s essential we protect them now so we can continue to enjoy their existence for decades to come.