FURY AS STARMER COULD SCRAP LIVE ANIMAL EXPORT BAN TO PLEASE BRUSSELS

Animal lovers fear Labour will trade away key post-Brexit protections.

HOW DARE HE!  Fears are growing that Keir Starmer is ready to sacrifice hard-won animal protections in a desperate bid to cosy up to Brussels, with even live animal exports now feared to be back on the table.

Campaigners warned key post-Brexit bans, including the outlawing of cruel live shipments of cattle, sheep, pigs and horses for slaughter and fattening abroad, could be ditched in Starmer’s EU “reset” deal.

The plan could also weaken Britain’s crackdown on puppy smugglers, just to make life easier for EU border bureaucrats.

Outrage erupted after Starmer last week said the UK could realign with the EU on food and animal health standards, a move that could blow the doors wide open to barbaric practices banned after Brexit.

Starmer is preparing to host EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council boss Antonio Costa at a UK-EU summit, where chunks of the so-called “reset” are expected to be unveiled.

David Bowles, of the RSPCA, issued a stark warning:

“We have told the Government it needs to explain to the EU that our ban on live animal exports is not on the negotiating table.”

“The Government has not confirmed to us that it isn’t on the table. We have concerns that the ban, which only came into effect on January 1, could be negotiated away the same year.”

He slammed any reversal of the ban as a “major setback for animal welfare standards”, adding:

“After nearly a century of campaigning for the ban, that would be a major setback for animal welfare standards in this country.”

The live export ban, one of the first major wins of post-Brexit Britain, was only possible after we broke free of the EU’s Single Market.

Now, even though it doesn’t apply in Northern Ireland, Britain had finally taken a stand against this sickening trade.

But insiders fear that could all be thrown away in return for a veterinary agreement to reduce red tape.

The crackdown on puppy smuggling gangs, largely run by Eastern European crime rings, could also be at risk. Campaigners want guarantees it won’t be watered down or quietly shelved in the name of smoother trade.

The law to ban imports of puppies and kittens under six months old was made possible after we tore up the EU pet passport scheme in 2020.

But EU negotiators could now demand Britain follows all their rules, including those that once allowed the live export trade to flourish.

Joël Reland, of UK in a Changing Europe, warned:

“It depends on how difficult the EU wants to be… you’re asking for selective access to the Single Market here, so you’re gonna have to play by all the rules, and that means animal exports as well.”

He admitted the EU might choose to be “charitable”, but noted Brussels has already rejected mutual recognition in the past, insisting on full “dynamic alignment” — code for Britain giving up control again.

“Dynamic alignment is the price you pay if you want to remove the vast majority of trade bureaucracy,” Mr Reland said.

With fishing rights, border checks and food standards all on the table, expectations for the summit have already been downgraded.

But the idea of live animal exports returning to our shores is already enough to send shockwaves through Britain’s farming communities and animal welfare groups.

Animal lovers and Brexiteers alike are asking:

What exactly is Keir Starmer willing to give up — and at what cost?