ANIMAL WELFARE campaigners have rallied in London to demand that the 'hard won' safeguards introduced by the European Union be maintained in the UK after Brexit.

As uncertainty remains over the government's plans for a future relationship with the EU, Green Party MEP Keith Taylor joined Animal Welfare Party leader Vanessa Hudson and animal rights campaigners to highlight their key animal welfare priorities in a post-referendum Britain.

"It is time for animal lovers of any, every, and no political persuasion to come together and fight to uphold the world-leading protections the EU has delivered on animal welfare,” said Mr Taylor.

“The EU brought in a blanket ban on cosmetic animal testing and the sale of animal-tested cosmetics; ended the use of great apes in research, improved welfare standards for farm animals, strengthened protections for rare and endangered species and cracked down on the illegal ivory trade.

“We cannot take these protections for granted, the new UK government is no friend to animals and could, depending on our future relationship with the EU, be free to scrap many, if not all, of these hard-won and vital protections. We need now to be proactive in our fight to maintain these EU laws."

But the animal welfare movement is looking beyond retaining the status quo – the end of this month will see the start of a new push to end the live export trade in farm animals, with a "day of action" planned for Ramsgate, Kent next Monday.

"Live exports is a barbaric industry that must be completely abolished," added Mr Taylor. "As an MEP, I have written to the new UK Minister for Animals, Lord Gardiner, urging him to support the Europe-wide Stop The Trucks campaign. The campaign will mount a fresh call from national governments to amend European regulations to stamp out this inhumane practice."