On Wednesday 12th June the Green Party published their 2024 election manifesto.

For animals, their manifesto includes:

• An end to the badger cull
• An end to animal testing and the use of live animals in military training
• An end to the use of horses and greyhounds in racing
• A ban on all bloodsports and hunting, including trail hunting, trophy hunting, and commercial shooting of game birds
• A ban on the use of snares
• An end to factory farming, including the mutilations of farmed animals and all cages
• The creation of a new Commission on Animal Protection
• Enhanced regulation of the breeding, sale and import of animals, including ear cropping and pet smuggling
• Replace breed-specific legislation with updated dog control laws
• A ban on destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling

Here are the sections of the manifesto that relate to animal protection, reproduced as worded within the manifesto:

Protecting animals

Elected Greens will seek to create a new Commission on Animal Protection, responsible for overseeing all rules designed to protect animals from cruelty and upholding their rights as sentient beings not to be subjected to undue suffering. The Commission will ensure that the highest standards of animal protection are applied to companion animals, farm animals and wildlife.

We will enhance regulation and controls on the breeding, sale and import of companion and all animals, including action to stop cruel practices such as ear cropping and pet smuggling. There would be compulsory licensing of everyone working with animals. Those convicted of cruelty will be placed on an animal cruelty register and prevented from working with animals again.

Elected Greens would push for ending the exploitation of animals, including horses and greyhounds in racing.

Green MPs will introduce a licensing scheme for the ownership of all kept animals and replace outdated breed-specific legislation for dogs with an updated dog control law.

Green MPs would recognise the distress caused when beloved companion animals are stolen and will champion new laws to comprehensively tackle this kind of crime.

Greens oppose the importation of monkeys for use in labs and will work towards an outright ban on all animal testing. We would also end the use of live animals in military training and support the production, promotion, and transition to non-animal technologies for use in experiments.

The Green Party is fundamentally opposed to all blood sports and would campaign to introduce a ban on all hunting in the first year of a new parliament. This includes trophy hunting, trail hunting, where dogs are used to track foxes, and the commercial shooting of game birds.

Green MPs will campaign against badger culling.

Where necessary for ecological reasons, or for animals described as pests, humane culling will be licensed by Natural England and carried out by trained professionals. We will also ban the use of lead ammunition and outlaw all forms of snaring.

Elected Greens will push for an end to factory farming, enforce maximum stocking densities and prohibit the routine use of antibiotics in farm animals. Greens will campaign for a complete ban on cages and close confinement, and on the deliberate mutilation of farm animals.

Elected Greens will ensure that all British domestic and overseas territorial waters offer the highest protection to marine mammals, sea birds and marine life.

Green MPs will champion co-operation in achieving global sanctuary for all cetaceans.

Elected Greens will push for a ban on bottom trawling and other destructive fishing practices in Marine Protected Areas and other waters.

A greener and fairer food and farming system

Agriculture is responsible for about one-tenth of all UK greenhouse gas emissions; it is the greater driver of nature loss and is largely responsible for the scandal of polluted rivers.

Elected Greens will:

• Almost triple support to farmers over the next 5-year parliament to support the transition to nature-friendly farming
• Encourage a move to mixed farming along with a reduction in meat and dairy production

Elected Greens will push for the highest animal protection standards and to update the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Bringing nature back to life

Elected Greens will transform and reconnect us with nature by:

Greens in parliament will make it a priority to pass a new Rights of Nature Act. For the first time, it would give Nature legal personhood, meaning that it could not be exploited for financial gain.

To read the full Green Party manifesto and see their other commitments, including for nature and the environment https://greenparty.org.uk/app/uploads/2024/06/Green-Party-2024-General-Election-Manifesto-Long-version_imprint.pdf