Animal welfare to be protected by UK law

This spring saw the passing of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill in the House of Commons, moving it a step further towards royal assent and a permanent place in UK law. This uphill battle, fought by the Better Deal for Animals coalition, an alliance of 50 of the leading UK animal organisations including the RSPCA, PETA, Human Society International, Cats Protection and Dogs Trust, to name a few, and its dedicated campaigners has been ongoing since 2019 as, in the wake of Brexit, the EU Withdrawal Act 2018 did not transfer the principle recognising animals as sentient beings into UK legislation. This raised concerns among animal welfare campaigners as, contrary to EU law, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 UK law did not explicitly recognise animals as sentient, only that they can experience suffering and pain (Ares, 2019). The UK government was thus obliged to review the many gaps in its legislation.