The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, which is making its way through Parliament, enshrines the recognition that animals are sentient in domestic law. It also creates a proportionate accountability mechanism to help reassure that central government policymaking takes this into account.
I am encouraged that this Bill will create an Animal Sentience Committee with experts which will produce reports on how well policy decisions have paid all due regard to the welfare of animals. The relevant Minister must then respond to reports via statements to Parliament. From now on, Ministers will need to be ready to show that the needs of animals have been considered in relevant policy decisions.
There is clear evidence that animals with a backbone are sentient and I am pleased that this is reflected in the Government’s Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. However, I am assured that the Bill also gives the Secretary of State a power to extend the recognition of sentience to particular invertebrates in future on the basis of evidence.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has commissioned an independent review of the available scientific evidence on sentience in decapod crustaceans, as well as sentience in the class cephalopoda. I understand that the review will report shortly and I look forward to reading its conclusions, which I know Ministers will respond to as part of their ongoing work to protect the welfare needs of animals.
DS.