6 March 2006 - Stray dogs in the Ukrainian capital Kiev are being subject to barbaric cruelty before being rounded up, slaughtered and turned into hats, gloves, soap – and even dog food.

MEPs are to view shock undercover footage of the collection and killing of Ukrainian strays at a briefing by animal welfare charity ‘Naturewatch’ sponsored by Green MEP Caroline Lucas this week.

Dr Lucas, who is vice-president of the RSPCA, and the European Parliament’s cross-party animal welfare group, said the video evidence was shocking and barbaric and urged Ukrainian president Victor Yushchenko to intervene to stop the slaughter.

“The way these dogs are treated is absolutely shameful – there is simply no excuse for cruelty on such a large scale, and this video footage will do immense damage to the way Ukraine is perceived in the EU,” she said.

Ukraine is a member of the Council of Europe – which requires members to collect strays ‘humanely’ – and last year adopted an Animal Protection law designed to stamp out such cruelty. But Naturewatch, whose investigators took the film being shown this week, say corruption is so widespread in Ukraine (anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International rates Ukraine as the third-most corrupt state in Europe) that both the profits from selling the dogs’ skins and carcasses – and almost £1/2m of public money earmarked for animal protection – are unaccountable and shrouded in a veil of secrecy.

“I hope all MEPs concerned about protecting animal welfare will write to president Yushchenko and remind him of his international obligations – and that organised cruelty to animals is not acceptable behaviour for a modern, European state, especially one which hosts growing numbers of international tourists and indeed hopes itself to become an EU member.”

ENDS