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MP
to Ride into Parliament
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At
1.30 pm on Wednesday 31st March, James Gray, Conservative MP for
North Wiltshire will ride his horse through Carriage Gates, into
Parliament
James
Gray, the first MP to exercise his right to ride a horse into Parliament
since the beginning of the last century, will be supporting the
ILPH and highlighting a Westminster Hall debate taking place from
2.00 pm that Wednesday afternoon.
The
debate, which James Gray is answering, is on rising concerns over
the resumption of the live export of British horses and ponies for
slaughter in European abattoirs.
The
MP is supporting the International League for the Protection of
Horses (ILPH) who have been running a campaign Say NO to Live Exports,
since September last year.
Says
Jo White, ILPH Campaigns Manager, "The EU draft Regulation
on the Protection of Animals during Transport is due to be considered
by the Council of Agricultural Ministers at the end of April. We
are extremely concerned as it contains no provisions to protect
our horses and ponies from the live export for slaughter trade from
which they have been protected for nearly 70 years. We cannot understand
why the Government suggests that these new draft Regulations will
protect our horses and ponies, when the journey times and rest periods
currently proposed within them could actually make the situation
worse than it is under the present Directive.
"Members
of the European Parliament have been extremely supportive in tabling
amendments that will improve animal welfare, for inclusion within
their report to the European Commission, which will be voted upon
in Strasbourg on Tuesday 30 March. The Commission have openly stated
that they would look at an opt-out for the UK if the Government
proposed it. The European door is open, why is our Government refusing
to act to protect our horses?"
James
Gray adds, "I am certain that the people of Britain do not
want to see the live export of horses to the continent for slaughter
for human consumption. That's why I am determined to persuade the
Government to make use of the opt-out that the European Union is
offering them."
www.ilph.org
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