IFAW manifesto

8.12.00am GMT Tue 16th Mar 2010

The International Fund for Animal Welfare has published its manifesto for the general election, entitled "Missing a Voice".

The areas of animal welfare they're particularly highlighting are:

• The marine environment. There should be an end to commercial whaling and those countries still practicing it - Japan, Iceland and Norway - need to understand that there's potentially a bigger industry in whale tourism. Ocean noise pollution should be reduced and commercial seal hunting ended.

• Endangered species - selling of ivory should be stopped, wildlife trade on the internet should be controlled, and measures taken to save tigers from extinction.

• Hunting. IFAW want the Hunting Act retained and enforcement strengthened.

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IFAW have previously written to prospective MPs asking them to resist any call to repeal the Hunting Act 2004, which came into effect on 18th February 2005.

Conservative leader David Cameron has pledged to re-open the debate in parliament with a view to possible repeal of the act, but IFAW claim that public support for the ban remains overwhelming, even amongst Conservative voters (62%) and even in rural areas (72%).

For more on IFAW see www.ifaw.org

Comment - for my opinion on hunting see http://www.trevorcarbin.org.uk/news/000195/hunting.html