We hope that this blog will help you easily compare the commitments made by the five main political parties.

This table shows some of the parties’ commitments on key animal welfare issues related to our campaigns. We have given more detail on additional commitments each party has made.

General

Labour

• “Will carry out a full review of Scotland’s outdated animal welfare legislation, with a view to strengthening wildlife protection law and animal welfare.”
• “Parliament should pay full regard to animal welfare requirements when formulating and implementing policies.”
• will introduce a National Animal Cruelty register.

Greens

• recognise the sentience of animals and believe this key principle should be enshrined in law.

Conservatives

• will bring forward a new Animal Welfare Bill that will include the measures detailed in their manifesto and this blog (it is unclear if other measures will also be included).

Wild animals

Liberal Democrats

• will guarantee sufficient resources for the police Wildlife Crime Investigation Unit.

Conservatives

• “We will fund a national strategy for the management and removal of invasive non-native species, where they damage our environment.”

Greens

• will work towards ending all blood sports
• will ban snares, glue traps and Larson traps
• support a ban on driven grouse shooting, but failing that will ensure a licensing scheme: “Is properly resourced and well enforced, including extending the powers of the SSPCA to allow them to investigate and prosecute wildlife crime; ends the killing of other animals to maximise grouse numbers; and bans the use of spring traps, snares, stink pits, decoy birds as bait, and cage traps.

Farmed animals

Transport

Conservatives

• “We also would take forward measures to improve the welfare of farmed animals in transportation. In doing so, we will take account of Scotland’s geography and established farming models. We do not believe that the scheme as proposed in England is right for Scotland.”

SNP

• “only allow live transport of livestock to and from islands and the mainland with stringent welfare standards in place.”

Greens

• “Roll out a network of mobile abattoirs for rural and island communities, to support crofters whilst minimising live animal transportation.”

Good Food Nation

Greens, SNP and Labour will all bring forward a Good Food Nation Bill, and the Liberal Democrats will consult on one. Labour specify that they will base it on proposals by the Scottish Food Coalition (of which OneKind is a member). As an alternative to the Good Food Nation Bill, the Conservatives propose a “farm to fork” review of Scotland’s food policy.

Other

Greens

• push for trade deals that do not allow importation of products with low animal welfare standards
• ban the killing of male chicks in the egg industry
• provide greater support for calf-at-foot dairies
• “Support consumer trends towards reduction in meat and dairy consumption”

Liberal democrats

• “will ensure that high UK food standards are not undermined in new trade deals.”

Labour

• push for “proper transparency and parliamentary scrutiny of all future trade and investment deals post-Brexit.”

Conservatives

• “will deliver tougher and more comprehensive legislation to tackle [livestock worrying] and compensate farmers.”

SNP

• “will seek to reflect so far as we can, new EU animal welfare labelling to promote food produced to higher than EU welfare standards.”
• will create a “National Protein Strategy that enables the appropriate sustainable production of livestock and more plant-based proteins to be cultivated.”

Salmon farming

SNP

• “will reform and streamline regulatory processes so that development is more responsive, transparent and efficient”
• “support innovation in aquaculture, for example by exploring the development of closed containment fish production on land.”

Liberal Democrats

• “We support the Scottish aquaculture industry and the high value it adds to its Scottish produce. We will support the industry to make continual improvements to production standards”

Greens

• “Introduce a moratorium on the licensing of new salmon farms and the expansion of existing ones until environmental and animal welfare concerns are addressed.”
• reduce stocking density
• push for an “end to risky practices such as thermolicer treatments.”
• ensure stricter monitoring
• ban Acoustic Deterrent Devices
• phase out open cage farming
• “Support levies on the industry to invest in innovation with the aim of delivering high welfare systems that prevent pollution, livestock escapes and parasite outbreaks.”

Companion animals

Labour

• “will reform the law on keeping domestic pets in different tenures after life events, including domestic violence.”
• “we need to raise public awareness and ban imports of very young puppies, and other illegal pets not on the positive list of species that are suitable to keep as pets.”

Greens

• give tenants the right to keep companion animals
• reverse the decision allowing tail docking for working dogs
• “will ban the breeding, import and export of dogs for racing, ending greyhound racing in Scotland”

Conservatives

• ban the sale of dogs with cropped ears
• amend the Dangerous Dogs Act to prevent euthanasia due to a dog’s breed.

SNP

• review the Dangerous Dogs Act “to ensure our communities are kept safe from dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog owners.”
  bring forward legislation to ensure fireworks are used safely and appropriately.

Liberal Democrats

• tighten restrictions around how fireworks are accessed and used by the general public