In May 2021, the Government set out a series of ambition reforms in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare. As an animal lover myself, I care deeply about the issue of animal welfare.
Since 2010, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has had a strong track record in reforms. This includes: a ban on the use of conventional battery cages for laying hens; mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses across England; a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses; the strongest ivory ban in the world; mandatory microchipping of dogs; and the modernisation of the licensing system for dog breeding and pet sales. In addition, I understand that Ministers have been working to add a new requirement for the compulsory microchipping of cats.
In 2021, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act came into force, raising the maximum sentence for animal cruelty from six months to five years. In addition, the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act formally recognises animals as sentient beings in domestic and establishes the Animal Sentience Committee, consisting of experts within the field, to ensure that animal sentience is considered when developing policy across Government.
Ministers recognise the concerns related to foie gras and the Government has been looking at the advertising and offering for sale of unacceptably low welfare activities using force feeding practices. The Government has been considering potential action in relation to animal fur, as set out in the Action Plan, and carried out a call for evidence on the fur sector in 2021.
Regarding cages, I am aware that the Government is committed to exploring the phasing out of cages, supporting the industry to do so in a way which underpins the UK’s food production and does not have any unintended animal welfare or business impacts.
Finally, I want to assure that the issue of animal welfare will continue to be an issue that I engage with in Parliament. Last year, in November, I was delighted to speak on and support the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill, which aims to ban the import of hunting trophies for specific species. To see a clip from my speech, please follow this link: https://twitter.com/Ben_Everitt/status/1596145949256163334?s=20&t=PFHby9ycB2uGJivo46MBlg