Ever since he was first elected as MP for The Wrekin in 2005, animal welfare has been high on Mark's agenda.

Mark has introduced several animal welfare Bills and motions aimed at strengthening our animal welfare laws, including...
 

• Sale of Endangered Animals on the Internet Bill
   
• The Sale of Primates as Pets (Prohibition) Bill
   
• The Protection of Common Birds Bill
   
• The Ending of Wild Animals in Circuses (Motion)

This Government has an excellent record on animal welfare and is already a world leader in this area.

• The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 enshrines in domestic law the recognition that animals are sentient and creates an expert Animal Sentience Committee, which will advise the Government on how policy decisions should take account of animal welfare.
   
• The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act introduced tougher sentences for animal cruelty, increasing maximum sentences.
   
• The Ivory Act came into force in 2022 and has recently been extended to cover five more endangered species.
   

Finally, the Government is supporting a series of Private Members’ Bills which will deliver important reforms on animal welfare.  These include the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, which will ban the import of hunting trophies for specific species; the Shark Fins Bill, which will ban the import and export of shark fins; and the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill, which will ban the sale and advertising of activities abroad which involve low standards of welfare for animals.