Greg Knight is supporting moves to stamp out the international trade in endangered and vulnerable species.

Mr Knight, the MP for East Yorkshire, said he was ‘repulsed’ at the trade and was supporting increased international activity to stamp it out.

Mr Knight said: “There is a need for international action to deal with wildlife crime. The INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group brings together specialized criminal investigators from around the world to tackle illegal activities on an international level and this is welcome, but more needs to be done.

“I support the work of environmental experts across the world to maximize the impact of cracking down on illegal wildlife crime”.

The MP was speaking after it was revealed that rare rhinos in wildlife parks in the UK may now be under threat from poachers. Police say they have had an anonymous tip-off that black rhinos could be targeted by poachers, who sell the horns for traditional medicine.

“Over the last few years there have been break-ins at museums where stuffed rhino heads have been stolen for their horns, but now it looks like rare live animals in the UK are being targeted,” Mr Knight said.

Mr Knight says some people believe rhino horn has potent medicinal properties but there is no evidence that this is so. He condemns the illegal trade in rhino horn, calling those who take part “ignorant and dim-witted, seeking to profit from those who are primitive and superstitious”.

The MP added, “Effective campaigns against wildlife crime, both here and overseas, have my full support.”

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight is calling for an end to animals being slaughtered without pre-stunning.

Mr Knight said, “This unacceptable practice is rife and is even used in cases when the customer does not require it. The Government should take action?”

In the Commons, Mr Knight pointed to remarks by Professor Bill Reilly, the ex-president of the British Veterinary Association, who has said it is “unacceptable” to slit the throats of cattle, lambs and chickens to produce halal meat without first stunning them. Mr Knight asked the Leader of the House, Sir George Young, for a debate on the matter in the House of Commons.

Sir George replied, “There is some evidence that the incidence of non-stunning exceeds that required for religious reasons” and he added that the Government currently have “the matter under review”.

Mr Knight said, “A small number of people require animals to be slaughtered in a specific way for religious reasons but most people would be appalled if they learnt that they were unwittingly consuming meat from animals that had their throats slit without any pre-stunning. This matter needs urgent attention from the Government.

Back in 2010 the House of Commons authorities revealed, in response to a question from Mr Knight, that they had previously served ritually slaughtered halal meat to Members of Parliament without their knowledge.

For more information see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18187137

Greg Knight is backing a new campaign by the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) to stamp out the international trade in endangered and vulnerable species.

The East Yorkshire MP said he was shocked to be shown a stuffed tiger cub which was slaughtered at 10 days of age and then mounted on a wooden plinth for “decorative purposes”. The baby cub was seized during a police raid in the UK.

Mr Knight said he was ‘repulsed’ at the trade and was supporting increased police activity to stamp it out.

The MP added, “There are only approximately 3,000 tigers left in the wild across the world. Indeed there are more privately owned tigers in America than there are tigers in the wild and anyone who takes part in this sickening trade deserves to face a substantial period in custody. This campaign has my full support.”