East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight is one of the sponsors of a House of Commons motion condemning Rhino poaching, rife in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The motion, which has gained cross-party support, calls on the UK Government to take action and work with African nations to tackle this crime and enforce a global ban on rhino horn use in quack medicines.

Mr Knight said, “The barbaric slaughter of these magnificent animals is illegal, scandalous and should be stopped”. He added, “Seeing a rhino on safari is one reason that thousands of tourists visit Africa each year, so besides putting an end to cruelty it makes good economic sense for the nations concerned to properly protect these endangered animals.

Greg Knight, the Member of Parliament for East Yorkshire, has condemned the announcement this week by Japan that it will go ahead with its annual whale hunt this autumn in spite of international condemnation.

In making the announcement Japanese Fisheries Minister Michihiko Kano also said extra ships would escort the whaling fleet to the Antarctic to guard against anti-whaling campaigners.

Mr Knight said, “Japan will slaughter about 1,000 whales this year and they say that it is for a scientific research programme. This claim is preposterous and the actions of the Japanese are not only unnecessary but offensive.”

Mr Knight added: “The Government and the European Union urgently need to step up pressure against Japan, Norway and other nations which flout international law in pursuit of the whale.”

Mr Knight’s condemnation is echoed by the Australian Government who are challenging Japan’s whaling plans in the International Court.

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight is backing a House of Commons motion condemning the treatment of animals in Chinese fur farms.

Undercover investigations have shown that animals are literally skinned alive on Chinese fur farms where there are no penalties for abusing animals including foxes, minks, rabbits and raccoon dogs. Investigators discovered that the animals still live as long as ten minutes after their skins have been removed.

Mr Knight, who has previously campaigned against animal cruelty, has joined a cross party group of MPs calling for action on the issue. Mr Knight and other MPs are calling on the Government to pressure the Chinese authorities to “put a stop to the barbaric treatment of animals”.

Mr Knight said, “The recently exposed cruelty on Chinese fur farms is totally unacceptable. Many British consumers wearing Chinese sourced fur would be horrified to know what goes on behind the scenes in these so called ‘fur-farms’.”

Mr Knight also wants the EU to tighten up country of origin-labeling requirements to allow consumers to choose ethically-sourced fur in preference to the Chinese variety, which currently accounts for almost 50% of world fur production. He adds, “Perhaps the Chinese will finally listen if consumers speak with their wallets and spurn the products of their brutality”.

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight has welcomed the Government announcement that the practice of testing household products on animals will be banned.

The Home Office today revealed that animal testing of products such as glue, bleach and detergents will be scrapped. In addition the Government said that the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research would help to co-ordinate action to cut all other animal experimentation.

Today’s announcement follows pressure from MPs, including Mr Knight who have recently backed a House of Commons motion calling on the Government to ‘implement sustained reductions in the number of animals used annually in experiments in Britain’.

Mr Knight said: “Any cut to the number of animals used in experiments is very welcome news indeed. Too many animals are still used in situations where other equally good alternatives, such as sophisticated computer models, are available”.

Mr Knight added: “In implementing these changes we must ensure that research and development work is not simply moved abroad to countries with lower animal welfare standards and less stringent testing guidelines”.