A FARM animal welfare charity visited the offices of Taunton MP and Defra Minister Rebecca Pow calling on her to pass the Kept Animals Bill and Ban Live Exports.

Taunton was the first stop of the Compassion in World Farming ‘Ad Van Tour’ of the country demanding an end to the live animal exports trade.

Campaigners handed in around 27,000 petitions using toy trucks to MP Rebecca Pow at her constituency office at The Great Western Hotel on Station Approach and they will also visit other key MPs.

A spokesperson for the charity who was in Taunton this morning said: “Pow is one of the Defra ministers and in 2021 the Defra published the Kept Animals Bill welcoming a ban on live export.

“It was supported by almost all the parties but since then it has not been seen. The delay has been unacceptable.

“We are in Somerset today because this is the first step of the tour.”

The charity also pointed out that the Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto promised to ban live exports for slaughter and fattening.

The Kept Animals Bill, which will see the ban come into effect, was published by the Government in May 2021 but has now been stalled in Parliament for over 15 months.

James West, senior policy manager at Compassion in World Farming, said: “The Kept Animals Bill has not progressed in Parliament since November 2021 and the Government simply aren’t making it a priority, despite calls from the British public and NGOs, including Compassion in World Farming, to do so.

“By taking our campaign to the doorsteps of those who can advance this Bill, we are making it impossible for them to ignore it any longer.”

“Live exports cause overcrowding, stress, exhaustion, dehydration, hunger and even death. This cruel trade must end.

"Ministers won’t take the Kept Animals Bill back to the House of Commons to secure a British live export ban, so we are making sure their constituents know about it.

"This legislation has cross-party support and is ready for its final stages in the House of Commons. So, what is the Government waiting for?”

Compassion is taking a digital ad van across England, from Somerset to Suffolk, Nottinghamshire, the Lake District (the locations of the constituency offices of four Defra Ministers), and on to Yorkshire for a final stop at the Prime Minister’s constituency.

At each stop around the country, the charity will hand over a model animal transport lorry full of the signatures of over 27,000 people who added their names to a recent petition that demands the Kept Animals Bill passes through Parliament and into law.

As the digital ad van makes its way across England, it’s displaying images of calves and sheep suffering during export journeys from Britain to Europe, highlighting the need to ban this cruel trade once and for all.

A Government spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to delivering our manifesto commitments on animal welfare, including ending the export of live animals, clamping down on puppy smuggling and banning the keeping of primates as pets. The date for the next stage of the Bill will be announced in the usual way.”