EU Politicians have introduced a new law obliging the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy to organise the killing of hundreds of thousands of grey squirrels, every year from 2016, using methods that include poisoning, bludgeoning to death or trapping and shooting. In the UK the Forestry Commission has drawn up new plans obliging UK landowners to carry out this cull if they wish to receive improvement grants; they would be paid £100 per hectare per year for five years using taxpayers’ money. In March 2014, Oliver Heald, the Solicitor General, told MPs that eradicating the grey squirrel was "no longer considered feasible". Representatives of animal welfare organisations, like Mimi Bekhechi (director of PETA UK) and Andrew Tyler (director of Animal Aid), have stated many times that killing grey squirrels is an inhumane, ecologically and socially damaging practice, and is an absolutely pointless cruelty waged against beautiful animals. Andrew Tyler said, “The grey squirrel is hated by members of certain groups, most notably those with shooting or forestry interests and some 'conservationists' who believe that the mass killing of greys is justifiable in their quest to boost the numbers of red squirrels”. "People have been responsible for wiping out the red squirrel, it's an excuse to blame the grey squirrel. The damage they do is exaggerated. Attempts to purge the landscape of them in the past have failed and this will fail too." Rob Atkinson, the head of wildlife science at the RSPCA, said: "It's ethically dubious killing one species for the sake of another. Up until the 1970s you could get a licence to kill red squirrels, so they were the baddies then, now it's grey squirrels. Apart from all that it doesn't work. There's absolutely no point in doing it." Killing squirrels is to be conducted even in the time of year when females nurse their dependent kittens. Killing thousands of nursing females will cause tens of thousands of baby squirrels to die of starvation. Starving animals is a torture in breach of animal welfare standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health. Scientific research has dispelled many myths about grey squirrels, yet these are still used to ‘justify’ the killing of grey squirrels. The red squirrel population in the UK has been declining for centuries now for a variety of reasons. Their habitat is coniferous woodland, their main diet, seeds from pine cones; these forests now exist mainly in Scotland, England has more deciduous woodland, which is best suited to grey squirrels, This can clearly be seen in the Forestry Commission's 1998 research data on grey and red squirrel numbers across the UK. A huge factor in the decline of red squirrels is the destruction of millions of acres of woodland by humans for agriculture, housing and industrial purposes. As a species, reds are far less adaptable than the grey, and have suffered badly when their habitat has been destroyed by us. Red squirrels will not thrive unless we give them the correct habitat, which will, in turn, limit the greys. These innocent creatures (the grey squirrel) were brought from their native country for the entertainment of wealthy landowners in the 1870s. They have not killed the red squirrels. Up to the late 1970s I remember that red squirrels were being slaughtered by landowners who blamed them for bark stripping and the loss of songbird eggs amongst other things, now it is fashionable to protect them, so blame has been transferred to the grey squirrel. The two species do not share the same habitat or food in most cases, there is no decent or logical justification for this cull. As with badgers there is no logic in the squirrel cull, which will cause untold suffering to a much loved animal and the main beneficiaries are people in the commercial business of killing wild animals.

We call upon all Staffordshire landowners to support the vaccination of badgers to address concerns about Tuberculosis (TB), culling is not the answer. There have been ongoing governmental trials to kill badgers in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Dorset and was extended to six other Counties in 2016, a further 11 cull zones in 2017 and further expansion this year and expected to include Staffordshire. Killing badgers as a method to prevent bovine tuberculosis (TB) as well as being inhumane and barbaric is scientifically proven to be ineffective. The government’s own figures, which were quietly released on the last day before Christmas, show TB in cattle to be rising in and around cull zones. In 2017 19,274 badgers were killed with 20 – 40,000 more expected by the end of 2018. The Welsh Government's approach has been far more successful by focusing on improved testing and movement controls in cattle. New incidents of bovine TB in cattle are now down by 28% in Wales with a 45% cut in the number of cattle being slaughtered. This now leaves 94% of the welsh herd TB free, without killing any badgers. Please say no to the badger cull and show the UK Government that we will not let badgers be murdered. Vaccination and cattle control must be implemented.

Red deer are native to our wild lands and one of the many reasons why tourists and cash rich stalkers come to visit these generally economically disadvantaged areas. The Red Deer are beautiful majestic animals and must be managed in a way as to assure there is a viable population for all. JMT preach "deer management" which to them means kill on sight to protect uneconomic tree species. JMT are ONLY interested in the ancient woodland at Ardvar, Knoydart and their other reserves to the detriment of anyone and anything else. This year the JMT shot and killed 86 stags on Knoydart which was 38% of all stags culled in the area despite them owning only 4% of that land mass and figures. The story is the same in Assynt. Most of these stags were shot and then just left to rot on the open hill which is clearly unacceptable. Locals have volunteered to fence off the areas that they want to preserve; their response was no. Fence off your land instead. This would mean hundreds of miles of fencing which would be unsustainable, unaffordable and nonviable. The red deer roam from estate to estate as they have always done. JMT want them penned in like pets which is disgusting coming from a trust that preaches conservation and natural habitats. They are killing not only the red deer but our way of life and our livelihoods. For more information please visit http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/dozens-of-shot-stags-left-to-rot-on-knoydart-hillside-1-3982538 and http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/scotland/article4646287.ece If this unsustainable deer management practice is allowed to continue it will lead to many job losses in areas adjacent to JMT land. This in turn will leave many families with no choice but to sell up and depart these already underpopulated but truly beautiful naturally wild areas.

We want all responsible bodies to come together To raise the standards of dog breeding and sales domestically and across Europe - reducing 'puppy farming'. To increase accountability of breeders and vendors to ensure that the highest welfare standards are employed and evidenced transparently. To ensure more collective action is taken which reduces abandonment To work towards a 'passport' system which records a dog's life - including birth details, medical history and ownership.

Blue Cross, Thirsk have stated that MAX was aggressive but this was challenged by Max's previous family. Also Blue Cross would not allow an Independent report being conducted on Max by a Behaviour Expert. Consequently, Max was euthanized today 18th December 2015. People on Facebook are outraged over the way this Animal Charity, has lied and colluded.

Primates should not be sold as pets as they are intelligent, complex animals that do not thrive in home environments. Often spending their lives isolated from their own kind, in cages too small for adequate exercise and fed inappropriate diets that lead to stunted growth and ill health, primates kept as pets suffer, one way or another.

Pets on Eurostar believe that non drivers are being discriminated against by this ban from Eurostar. If you agree, please sign the petition on our home page. We intend to approach not only the directors of Eurostar but our Ministers for Transport at Whitehall and Brussels.

Given the choice between purchasing eggs from caged or free range hens, the British public have proven that they care enough about animal welfare to have this inform their purchasing decisions. Independent research has found that 79% of UK consumers take animal welfare into account when shopping, yet most of the method of production labelling in this country is still voluntary and insufficiently regulated and enforced. http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/foodlabelling/works Requiring those manufacturers who source meat from intensive "factory" farms to declare this on their packaging by law would help consumers make an informed choice at the point of purchase, while encouraging people to think about where their food comes from and the quality of life the animals involved receive before they become our dinner. The research indicates that 8 out of 10 British shoppers would support this, and the "Labelling Matters" campaign offers a tool for lobbying DEFRA and the EU as individuals with regard to chicken meat: http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/foodlabelling/takeaction http://www.onekind.org/campaigns/food_labelling/ It is our opinion that this does not go far enough; and we think that pigs, sheep, cows, and fish deserve the same consideration as chickens. In addition, the meat industry is a major contributor to climate change, and intensive farming methods exacerbate this. While it is unrealistic to expect people to stop eating meat all together, this move would give consumers an indication as to how much their purchasing choices contribute to this global crisis. http://www.cowspiracy.com/ http://www.fawf.org.uk/documents/FAWF_Labelling_Food_FINAL.pdf

The torture of animals is a serious crime. The perpetrators left Chunky for dead. They may, therefore have assumed they had killed the him. A five year ban from keeping animals and a £500 fine is too lenient a sentence for such a barbaric crime. https://s.bsd.net/38degrees/main/page/-/CBY/Chunky-the-dog.jpg Background to the case: A tiny chihuahua cross called Chunky was stolen from his owners in Margate, Kent. The teenagers who stole him then tortured him for hours. He was left with multiple injuries that included a broken neck and leg, he was fed drugs and set fire to his face after spraying him with an aerosol can . He was then and left for dead at a rubbish dump. The RSPCA have stated this is one of the worst cases they seen. The four perpetrators were sentenced to the following. Two of the gang were 15 and 16 at the time of the offence: - Banned for keeping animals for five years. - 12-month referral orders and ordered to pay costs with fines ranging from £500 to £1000, totalling £2,000. Chunky survived and was returned to his owners. He's not the same dog he was before this hideous ordeal. We call on the Ministry of Justice to urgently review the sentencing decision on this case.

Tunnock's is a well known and loved Scottish brand, not only in its native Scotland, but around the world. Tunnock's should pave the way in the biscuit industry as being a leader in important environmental issues and show to be ecologically and environmentally responsible. Using uncertified palm oil in biscuits is contributing to the destruction of rainforests and the near extinction of orangutans and Sumatran tigers. For the unsustainable palm oil industry to flourish indigenous people´s homes are threatened, deforestation leaves animals homeless, carbon dioxide emits poison contributing to greenhouse gases and animals such as orangutans are either killed, badly hurt, starved, or left as orphans. Enjoying a Tunnock's Tea Cake should not reflect such monstrosities.

Scarlet is a loving pet fox belonging to David Robinson. Scarlet isn't like any wild fox as she was bred in captivity and is just as much of a pet as anyone's cat or dog. Scarlet was living a happy healthy life until the RSPCA decided they don't agree morally with a pet fox, this itself wasn't an issue as not everyone can always see eye to eye. The problem occurred when they ILLEGALLY seized Scarlet for no reason other than she was a fox. Their reasoning; apparently a vet thought it would be in her best interest to live as a wild fox despite not being even slight wild, a vet who hadn't even seen Scarlet previous to making this ridiculous decision. Not only this but the RSPCA used bully boy tactics to get David to hand over Scarlet with threats of coming back with a warrant and leaving him with huge legal bills if he refused. It was only afterwards David learnt his rights and pointed out he had not signed her over to the RSPCA! They are now refusing the reunite the pair based on nothing more than personal opinion.

The list of genera/species covered by the act is woefully dated. For example, Sicarius sp. The Six Eyed Sand Spider, is not even covered by the license despite being absolutely lethal. This species is being readily kept without any restrictions whatsoever. At a minimum this petition is to get this particular genus added to the Act, an acknowledgement that this species requires licensing. Going further than this i would see a tiered system introduced with two levels of animal. Lethal and Dangerous. At present the same regulations and criteria to keep a Black Widow (which is comparatively harmless despite it's reputation) would also allow an individual to keep an Alligator. Clearly this is a situation that cannot be allowed to continue. There needs to be a distinction between animals that can be kept with minimal precautions by responsible and experienced individuals and those species that require much greater controls be in place.