Commenting on the Animal Welfare (Live Exports) Bill completing its legislative journey through the House of Commons, David Bowles, head of public affairs at the RSPCA, said: "We are pleased to see the Animal Welfare (Live Exports) Bill pass through all stages in the House of Commons and look forward to it making swift progress in the Lords. The RSPCA, other organisations and the public, have campaigned to see live exports banned for more than 50 years so to see this becoming a reality now is an incredible step forward for animal welfare.

"We agree with the UK Government that this Bill should be fast-tracked through Parliament as finally bringing in a ban on this cruel and barbaric practice is a huge step forward for animal welfare. As much as we would love to see more species of animals added to 'future-proof' the law, right now it is critical nothing slows progress, in case Parliament runs out of time ahead of a general election. 

"Only sheep, calves and horses have been exported from Britain for slaughter in the last 10 years and as these species are already covered by the Bill, adding further animals like reindeer and llamas could mean Parliament runs out of time and the ban would not happen - so we're pleased to see the Bill go through the Commons without delay.

"Although no animals are currently being exported for slaughter from Britain, we need to act quickly to get this ban in place as currently the trade could restart at any moment. It would be heartbreaking if British animals joined the 1.6 million cattle, sheep, pigs and horses already transported across Europe every year on gruelling journeys that can last tens of hours, exhausting the animals and causing suffering and even death. 

"We and our passionate supporters will be keeping a close eye on this Bill to ensure it comes into force quickly - as promised in the King's Speech - and will also look to assess if further animals need to be added to the law to protect them from live export in the future."