Animals Formally Recognized as Sentient Beings in Historic New UK Law
Government reforms set to prohibit most live animal exports, ban imports of trophy hunting, and outlaw the sale of foie gras.
Animal welfare campaigners celebrated a major victory last week as the UK government announced that animals will be formally recognised as sentient in UK law.
The legislative reforms are part of the UK government’s new ‘Action Plan for Animal Welfare’, that will see increased protection for wild, domestic, and farmed animals.
Some of the measures include the prohibition of most live animal exports and a ban on imports of ivory and shark fins. There will also be a potential ban on foie gras, a high-end product considered a delicacy, which is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese to enlarge their liver up-to ten times its normal size.
Additional proposals include the compulsory microchipping of cats, a crackdown on the theft of pets, and an end to controversial e-collars that are used to give pets an electric shock during training.
The changes will be introduced through a series of bills, with any new laws now legally obligated to acknowledge that animals can “experience feelings such as pain or joy”.
“Respect for animal welfare is not only the right thing to do for animals, it will also play a critical role in tackling global environmental and public health challenges such as climate change, antibiotic resistance, and pandemic prevention”, said Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International/UK.
The government also pledged to defend UK animal welfare in future trade treaties, but it will not make this commitment a legal requirement.
And despite calls from campaigners, there will not be an outright ban on cages for poultry and farrowing crates for pigs. Female pigs can legally be kept in small crates where they are unable to turn around until their piglets are weaned, usually at around four weeks of age. Over 200,000 sows are suffering in farrowing crates on farms across the UK at any one time, according to animal advocacy organization, Compassion in World Farming.
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