The Government has published an action plan for animal welfare - a first of its kind - that will revolutionise the treatment of animals in the UK and introduce measures to protect the welfare of animals abroad.
Now that we have left the EU, the UK has new freedoms to further strengthen animal welfare standards and reinforce its position as a global champion of animal rights. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare will build on our existing world leading standards by recognising animals as sentient in law and committing to a range of new game changing welfare measures to protect pets, livestock and wild animals.
Richard Fuller, MP for North East Bedfordshire, said:
We have a proud history in this country on animal welfare in the country. The UK was the first country in the world to pass legislation to protect animals in 1822 with the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act and over the last decade the Government has introduced a range measures including banning the use of battery cages for laying hens, introducing compulsory CCTV in slaughter houses and raising the maximum sentence for animal cruelty from six months to five years.
Since 2010, the Government has also brought in mandatory microchipping for dogs to help reunite lost dogs with their owners and has introduced additional protection for service animals by introducing ‘Finn’s Law’. Last year, the Government introduced Lucy’s Law to tackle puppy farming by banning the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens. In 2019, the Government also outlawed the use of wild animals in circuses.
But we know there is more we can do and now that we have left the EU, we have the opportunity to go further. The government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare contains upwards of forty valuable reforms to ensure animals are afforded the respect, protection and care they deserve. Combined, they represent the biggest shake up of animal welfare laws for generations.
The Action Plan for Animal Welfare also sets out how the government will:
Improve welfare for pets by:
- tackling puppy smuggling through changes to import rules
- cracking down on pet theft through a new government taskforce
- banning remote controlled training e-collars
Protect wild animals by:
- making it illegal to keep primates as pets
- introducing new laws to crack down on illegal hare coursing
- supporting legislation to restrict the use of glue traps
- funding wildlife conservation projects both at home abroad
Protect animals abroad by:
- banning the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals
- banning the sale of ivory by implementing the Ivory Act this year
- prohibiting the import and export of detached shark fins to protect the iconic shark species
- banning the advertisement in this country of unacceptable low-welfare animal practices abroad – such as elephant rides
Improve welfare for farmed animals by:
- ending the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter
- introducing new measures to improve welfare during transport
- giving the police more powers to protect farm animals from dangerous or out of control dogs
- examining the use of cages for poultry and farrowing crates for pigs
- improving animal welfare at slaughter
- incentivising farmers to improve animal health and welfare through future farming policy
To deliver these reforms, the Government will be introducing a series of Bills in due course focusing on animal sentience, kept animals here in the UK and the welfare of animals. There will also be a series of non-legislative changes to promote animal welfare over the coming months, with a number of regulations due to be brought forward this year. The Government will also ensure that animal welfare is not compromised in all our future trade negotiations.
The full Action Plan for Animal Welfare can be accessed here.
