I HAVE recently moved to the Forest and have been very

interested in the growing movement to protect it from

Government sell-off. I fully endorse the campaign but

thought you would be interested to know how the

Coalition Government is short-changing animal welfare as

well.

Since coming to office, James Paice, the Defra

Minister, has been quietly dropping small but significant

animal welfare improvements, which the Labour

government had accepted, either to save money or in

bowing to the shooting and farming lobbies. These moves

have horrified animal welfare organisations, including the

RSPCA and need to be considered in some detail.

The affect:

1. Game birds. Labour introduced a new code of

practice for game birds just before the election. This

would have banned battery cages for breeding pheasants

within months. This government has

reversed the decision, allowing so-called "enriched

cages" which do not meet the needs of pheasants under

the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. Caged pheasants become

terribly stressed and, in pleasing shooting interests, Mr

Paice has betrayed game birds.

2. Circus animals. 90 per cent of the public supports

a ban on performing wild animals and the Labour

government was about to introduce a ban. As with

pheasants, the abnormal confinement and boredom of

circus animals causes severe psychological stress. The

Coalition has done nothing on this issue.

3. Slaughterhouse cruelty. Animal Aid has recently

conducted under­-cover investigations at eight randomly

selected slaughterhouses in England. Seven of the eight

were found to be severely wanting in terms of animal

welfare. Under Labour, prosecutions were imminent

against several slaughtermen for cruelty. The present

government has withdrawn these and left the Food

Standards Authority to call for CCTV cameras to be

installed in all slaughterhouses, as the only way to end

abuse. The video footage on Animal Aid's website is

heartbreaking and I would contend that no civilised

country should allow its animals to be treated in this way,

behind closed doors. We must ask how much cruelty goes

on in the other 300 or so slaughterhouses in this country?

4.?Badgers. The Government hopes to allow farmers,

who apply for licenses in TB?hotspots, to shoot badgers

on their land. Scientifically, we know that badger culls do

no affect Bovine TB incidence in any way. Badger

vaccinations are available and work. Badgers running out

of a cull area will simply carry any disease with them. The

disease is usually transmitted cow to cow and intensive

herds are very vulnerable. There is no need to scapegoat

badgers.

5. Laying hens. The mutilation of hen's beaks is done

to stop pecking in unnatural and confined battery cages. It

causes considerable pain and was to end in Jan 2011. Mr

Paice, giving in to egg producers, has postponed this

reform for 5 years.

6. The government is gradually reducing the number

of vets present to monitor animals at market, to save

money. Abuses in welfare will occur.

It is my reckoning that over 50 million animals

(sentient and feeling beings) will be worse off as a result

of these cost cutting and unkind measures. The Coalition

Government needs fighting on this level as well as on the

sale of Forest lands.

– Joyce Moss, Lydney.