1978 – Lord Houghton of Sowerby becomes President of SSPV

MP for Sowerby in Yorkshire from 1949 – 1974, Lord Houghton had been President of Animal Welfare Year (1976 – 1977) and Chairman of the General Election Co-ordinating Committee for Animal Protection (GECCAP).

The (Lord) Houghton group

Lord Houghton was a very active president and a member of various committees in addition to his parliamentary work. He introduced many Members Bills about animal rights to the House of Lords and met regularly with the Home Secretary to discuss anti-vivisection and the reform of vivisection to ensure better welfare of those animals used in it.

He was involved, directly and indirectly, in getting several animal welfare measures through parliament, including the banning of pets from sale at street markets, and tightening protections for badgers. He was very involved in trying to improve the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 up until his death.

While he was 90, he received the first BVA Alice Stanley Jayne Award for outstanding services to animal welfare.

Image: The Houghton Group. Lord Houghton chaired the group who produced The Houghton Memorandum, a set of recommendations about experiments on living animals which was presented to the Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1976.

Latest

1 year of Unbound the Greyhound 22-07-24

From our launch outreach event on the streets of Glasgow last June, to the proposed Bill to ban greyhound racing in Scotland securing cross-party support this June, it’s been a year of significant progress.
How we helped animals in June 11-07-24

As always and with the help of our supporters, we will continue working hard to drive positive changes for animals across Scotland and beyond. Please continue reading to find out more about Onekind’s work in June and how you can support our campaigns.
The hunt for vegan shoes 11-07-24

Environmentally friendly alternatives to leather and suede footwear are widely available, both from specialist stores online, and on the High Street where most large retailers stock some non-leather shoes.
86% support Bill to ban greyhound racing 26-06-24

More than 86% of those who responded to the proposed Bill to ban greyhound racing in Scotland have expressed support for the measure.

2024 - Live exports banned in Britain

In May 2024 the Bill to ban live exports from and through Britain passed its final stage in the UK Parliament, meaning the export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and horses for slaughter and fattening from Great Britain became illegal.
2023 – Scottish Government announces intention to ban snares

In August 2023 the Scottish Government announced its intention to ban the use of snares in Scotland, following decades of campaigning from OneKind.
2023 - Scottish Government ends the 'sport' of fox hunting

Under the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023, there is now a two-dog limit for flushing wild mammals to guns, effectively putting an end to fox hunting packs.
2021 – mandatory CCTV comes into force for all Scottish slaughterhouses

In July 2021 mandatory CCTV came into force for all Scottish slaughterhouses. While slaughter could never be cruelty-free, it was believed the plans could make a huge difference in protecting animals from illegal violence which animal advocates investigations had revealed.
2021 – UK Government introduce Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to Parliament

In June 2021 the UK Government introduced the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to parliament, which introduced a ban on the live export of farmed animals for fattening or slaughter, from or through Great Britain.
2020 – Scottish Government commit to exploring restorative justice for offenders against animals

The Scottish Government announced it would commission a research project into the value of restorative justice and empathy-based interventions for offenders against animals – something OneKind had been advocating for since 2014.
2020 – Scottish Government announce an effective ban on seal shooting

OneKind campaigned for an end to seal shooting for many years. In 2009, a report was released to highlight the animal welfare concerns of seal shooting along with a campaign video.
2020 – Mountain hares in Scotland given greater protection

The Scottish Parliament voted to recognise mountain hares as a protected species. This would put an end to Scotland’s mass scale killing of the hares.
2017 – OneKind celebrates Scotland’s ban on wild animals in circuses

After years of campaigning by OneKind, Scotland became the first country in the UK to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.
2014 – OneKind joins Wild Animal Welfare Committee

The WAWC is an independent group providing an evidence base for evaluating, monitoring, assessing and improving decisions affecting the welfare of free-living wild animals in the UK.