News Blog Ministers must not weaken on progress for animals (14-07-26) Every September the Scottish Government publishes its Programme for Government (PfG) - its priorities for the coming years and the actions it will take in the year ahead. This year's, following the recent election, will be especially significant. Worryingly, neither the last PfG nor the the SNP election manifesto had any animal welfare commitments (apart from a tiny mention of fish). In fact, the word animal didn't appear at all in either document. We hope that this doesn't show a weakening of the Scottish Government's commitment to animal welfare. It will be important that this year the PfG re-establishes that Ministers care about animals and will act to protect them. So, we have written to team developing the PfG, to share the priorities that we think should be included in this first Government plan of the new political session. You can read the full letter here. Call for animal welfare to be in the PfG What have we asked for? As well as urging that action for animals be treated as a priority in general, we have made a few specific asks. End the use of farrowing cages The Scottish Government has agreed to jointly consult on this with the UK government. While this is good news, there is no detail on timing or what might replace traditional cages - 'adaptive' farrowing still allows sows to be caged, just for a shorter time, and is unacceptable. Tackle the crisis of wild animals kept as 'exotic pets' The Scottish Government still hasn't responded to the recommendations of its expert advisory group, who agree with us that there should be a list of species permitted as pets - only those who can have a good life in a home environment. While this big change will take time, the PfG should set out first steps towards it. Better laws for wild animals Both animal welfare and wildlife legislation need to be updated. Laws and how they are used and enforced need to do better for all animals. In terms of the law itself, wild animals currently have much less protection than other animals. How you can help You can take action by contacting the Cabinet Secretary responsible for animal welfare and asking that she make animal welfare a priority in the PfG. Take action Manage Cookie Preferences