The UK is a world leader in animal welfare and this Government is consistently taking action to protect our precious wildlife in this country.
Most recently, the Government announced its intention to place new restrictions on pesticides which are harmful to bees.
Bees are an integral part of our ecosystem – it is estimated that pollinators contribute somewhere between £400 million and £680 million to agricultural productivity. From my correspondence with many residents, I know many readers of this E-Newsletter are concerned about the plight of bees. A lot of research has been conducted into neonicotinoids and its effect on wildlife in this country, particularly with regards to bees. Recent studies have highlighted the harm that neonicotinoids do to bees and in light of this, this Government has decided to place further restrictions on the use of such pesticides in this country.
The Government has also recently taken the decision to make it compulsory for all animal slaughterhouses in England to have CCTV installed. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove MP stated that this was being done in order to clamp down on the possible mistreatment of animals in these slaughterhouses. The footage from the newly installed CCTV cameras will be accessible to official vets working for the Food Standards Agency – who will be able to highlight cases in which animals have been poorly treated.
These announcements are very encouraging and I fully support these measures to enhance UK wildlife.