This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Ban the export of shark fins from the UK
Currently the UK can (and does) export shark fins, cut from fins of sharks that have already been landed. Whilst the push to ban the import of shark fins to the UK is known, we need the Government to act now to ban the export of fins from the UK to any other country and force the trade to cease.
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According to many conservative estimates from multiple sources, 100,000,000 sharks are slaughtered for their fins every year. That’s roughly 274,000 sharks a day. That's nearly double the population of the UK - Dying every year. We have the potential, now, to set our own laws on the import and export, outside of previous EU regulations.
It is a barbaric practice and there is no excuse to allow it to continue.
How we treat these animals says something about us a species and a society.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Related activity
Government announces plans for new animal welfare laws
As part of the Queen's Speech on Tuesday 11th May, the Government announced that it plans to introduce new laws to protect and promote the highest standards of animal welfare in the UK.
The Government's proposals are set out in a new Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which was published this week. Its proposals focus on improving the welfare of pets and farmed animals, and protecting wild animals in the UK and animals exported or found outside the UK.
The Government intends to introduce three new Bills into Parliament to make these changes - the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, the Kept Animals Bill, and the Animals Abroad Bill. These Bills will be published in due course.
Read more about the Government's plans here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-lead-the-way-on-animal-welfare-through-flagship-new-action-plan
Read the Queen's Speech background briefing notes for more information on the Government's proposed Bills:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/queens-speech-2021-background-briefing-notes
What is the Queen's Speech?
The Queen's Speech is the speech that the Queen reads out in the House of Lords Chamber on the occasion of the State Opening of Parliament.
It's written by the Government and sets out the programme of Bills - new laws, and changes to existing laws - that the Government intends to put forward in this new Parliamentary session. A session of Parliament usually lasts around one year.
Once the Government puts forward a Bill in Parliament, Parliament then debates the Government's proposal and decides whether to adopt the changes to the law set out in the Bill.