We often receive reports about animal abuses in other countries. Issues that are frequently raised include, for example, welfare problems of stray animals in southern and eastern European countries, the torturous living conditions of bears kept for bile production in China and of ‘dancing’ bears in India, and the skinning of live dogs in some Asian countries. These are all horrific things, which any civilised person would want to put an end to right away.
Given that such things happen in other countries, our means to do anything about them unfortunately remain restricted. It is not in our power to force the Chinese government to stop bear farming. We are also unable to force the government of another European country to adopt a more humane solution for dealing with stray dogs. In such cases, it is more effective if the public turn to the non-governmental organisations and political parties in the countries concerned so that they are able to take appropriate action.
This does not, however, mean that we are completely powerless. We can ask the Dutch government to exert pressure on foreign governments to put an end to certain abuses. We have, for instance, made a strong case for a ban on the import of dog fur. In this way, a Dutch animal party is able to do something about the skinning of live dogs abroad. We also plan to participate in the next elections for the European Parliament. When elected, we shall also do our utmost to play the role of pacemaker there too.
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