[S]ue Hayman, Member of Parliament for Workington and Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, started the new Parliamentary term highlighting the importance of animal welfare by meeting with the RSPCA and their inspectors.
The RSPCA is the leading organisation on animal welfare in England and Wales, and its influence has spread world-wide. Their work encompasses companion animals, farm animals, wildlife and animals used in research, and includes education and campaigning, as well as enforcement, rescue and rehabilitation.
In 2016, the RSPCA received over 1.1 million calls to its cruelty line and investigated just under 160,000 complaints of animal cruelty.
Sue said: “I’m proud to support the RSPCA and the work that their inspectors do to protect animals on the ground in Cumbria. It was fantastic to meet some of their hard working inspectors and to thank them on behalf of the animal lovers in our area for all that they do.
“I know how important animal welfare issues are to my constituents and it is an issue that I intend to take up on their behalf in this Parliament.
“I am looking forward to working with the RSPCA to ensure that animal welfare is also a key part of the Brexit debate and that the protection of the idea that animals are sentient beings continues to be enshrined in UK law after we leave the EU. Other key priorities include working to end live animal exports, reforming the Common Agricultural Policy to encourage better farm animal welfare, and improving food labelling.”
