Campaigning MEP John Flack has been honoured for his work in support of animal rights.
Flack, Conservative MEP for the East of England, was named Parliamentarian of the Month by Cruelty Free International, the anti animal-experimentation charity
He is an unstinting champion of animal welfare and conservation causes, and sits as Vice President of the parliament’s Animal Welfare Intergroup.
As the first established and longest running group in Parliament, it has been at the forefront of new animal welfare initiatives such as the EU ban on the import and trade of seal products and the call for a ban on the cloning of animals for the food supply.
The citation for Flack’s award said: “He is a prominent voice in the campaign to end cosmetics animal testing, voting in support of a European Parliament resolution to end cosmetics animal testing worldwide, and continuing to campaign for improved animal welfare across the board.”
Flack has campaigned on a huge range of issues including poaching, trophy hunting, abuse of performing animals, whaling and the live transport of animals.
Last year he published a book called Animals’ Can’t Vote – But You Can, which highlighted key areas of animal abuse that could be tackled by public opinion and consumer power.