We're handing in your petition!
Dear supporter, It has been a ground-breaking two weeks for Crustacean Compassion. We are delighted to update you on all the exciting things that have been going on in the run-up to presenting our petition to Defra on Valentine’s Day this week! We need your help on the day so read on…. You may have seen us in the news recently as we received an amazing response to our open letter to Defra (which you can read at www.crustaceancompassion.org.uk) signed by eminent scientists, vets and lawyers, the RSPCA and the British Veterinary Association, as well as numerous celebrities such as Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan, and Bill Bailey. Here are some highlights of the media coverage we have received including: BBC News: https://goo.gl/MSwhiE ITV News: https://goo.gl/gxXbMT BBC Radio Scotland https://goo.gl/3vAwov and our Campaign Director gave a live interview on BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire: https://youtu.be/vH3p6FlI60E We’ve even been covered internationally by media outlets in Canada, China, Ireland and Russia! This publicity has led to a massive rise in the number of signatures on our petition, currently totalling over 30,000! Such overwhelming support shows that the public do care about the welfare of lobsters, crabs and other decapod crustaceans. The open letter demonstrates that experts in the field also agree that they should be protected under law; and last month 41 animal welfare organisations agreed in a joint post-Brexit animal welfare manifesto : https://goo.gl/m6tKJm With the government currently reviewing key aspects of animal welfare legislation in the proposed Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill (https://goo.gl/gDTx1d) there has never been a better time to present our case. We submitted to the open consultation on the new Bill at the end of last month and it is currently being considered. The government can no longer ignore this issue and with your help we’ll take it all the way! We will be asking Michael Gove to #ShowLobstersSomeLove on Valentine’s Day when we hand over the petition to Defra. We will also be providing Defra with other key documents, such as our scientific summary and the all-important open letter. This is a crucial day for the campaign, and it is a day to represent you and all the amazing support you have given us. We couldn’t have come this far without your continuous support! We hope you will be just as excited as we are about Wednesday. Please join in the event by tweeting @MichaelGove with the hashtag #ShowLobstersSomeLove on the day! Don’t forget to also keep an eye on our social media channels where we will be sharing photos and news throughout the day: https://twitter.com/crab_welfare https://www.facebook.com/CrustaceanCompassion/ The petition will remain open so that people can continue to sign it over the coming weeks, but we need to make sure that Defra is aware of its existence, and just how much public support it has received in the year since it was launched. Therefore, please do continue to share widely, as the more support that we have the better! A final thanks; not just from us, but from the decapod crustaceans! Best wishes, The Crustacean Compassion Team Maisie, Juliette, Joanna, Gemma, Ann and Claire
