OATA has joined forces again with the Pet Food Manufacturers Trade Association and the Reptile and Exotic Pet Trade Association to put together a new leaflet to send to MPs called Positive About Pets.
We want MPs to know how important it is to support all types of pet ownership – including what are called ‘exotic’ pets – which include ropical fish and reptiles. There are increasingly vocal campaigns, supported by celebrities, around banning the exotic pet trade – and we need MPs to realise that supporting these kinds of campaigns could mean their constiuents could not longer keep marine fish for example.
These campaigns try to make issues very simple but rarely tell the whole story and, while wild taken fish are largely found on the marine side of the hobby, they can offer important livelihood benefits to people in remote parts of the world which do not enjoy the same societal safety nets that we do in the West.
We’d also urge you to send the leaflet to your local MP and point out what an effect these campaigns would have on your busines. You’ll find updates on our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages and please do share with your own MP by tagging in your local MP.
