I'm not signing because I think the export of live sheep from Britain to Europe does not pose a welfare risk, any more than transporting within the british isles and it is an important market for a net exporter of sheep (ie the UK).
It is true that the export of British Lamb is very important to farmers. When we were unable to export our lamb in the FMD outbreak of 2007, prices for lamb fell through the floor.
However the lamb should be, and as far as I was aware until recently was, predominantly exported as
meat, not as live sheep.
I suspect that the majority of the live export is in fact old ewes and tups, destined for ritual slaughter in abattoirs which do not have to comply with British welfare rules.
I would love to know some facts here, so that we could all make informed decisions and not have to base our choices and actions on supposition.