An Independent Office for Animal Welfare?
The Australian Greens (far more successful than here with many MPs and local councillors) is calling on the government to introduce an Independent Office for Animal Welfare. This would seem a no-brainer. If you think of all the abuse that animals suffer (pets, wildlife, birds, barnyard animals, horses, marine creatures, fish, reptiles, insects and endangered species abroad), it makes sense to have a cabinet office of its own.
We could call for something similar. They want such an office to push for:
- A ban on live animal exports (to the Middle East)
- A ban on greyhound racing (England has around 19 tracks left)
- Phasing-out battery cages and sow stalls
- An end to commercial shooting of kangaroos
- Protecting native wildlife from habitat destruction (our Labour government is killing wildlife by relaxing planning laws on house-building)
- Laws to recognise animals as sentient beings
A UK Animal Welfare Minister?
This would at least be a start. Green Party policy is to have one, but no other parties. At present, animal welfare falls under the massive title of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (which means it mostly only covers farming and countryside, often lobbied by vested farming interests).
Animal welfare issues in England are handled by DEFRA (other countries are devolved) and considering DEFRA supported the ineffective and inhumane badger cull for years before conceding that there are better ways to prevent bovine TB, we have a long way to go.
At time of writing (2026), Baroness Hayman of Ullock is responsible for animal welfare (leading policies on zoo regulations and animal testing (rather than humane medical research).
And Dame Angela Eagle is responsible for farmed animal welfare and bovine TB.
The (cancelled) Animal Welfare Bill
No matter what you thought of him (and for most of us, that was not a lot), one of the few brilliant things that Boris Johnson did while Prime Minister, was create and try to pass through the Kept Animals Bill.
The name does not sound good, but it was the biggest package of animal welfare changes in modern history.
It would have banned puppy mills, imports of trophy hunting and made stronger penalties for those who abused animals.
It would have included new measures to tackle livestock worrying, banned import of ill dogs for breeding and banned keeping primates as pets. Even game birds (pheasants), llamas and ostriches would have been given greater protection.
Then Rishi Sunak got rid of it, before it even came into law. Now there is an Animal Sentience Committee instead (talking around a table).
Even Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns launched an online petition, urging him to rethink dropping the bill, something that all the major animal welfare charities are appalled at.
The Bill was dropped with just 5 more hours to debate, before it would have gone to the House of Lords for approval.
These dropped animal welfare pledges could be pivotal, when assessing the UK government’s page in the history books.
From ending the live export of animals to dealing with pet theft and stopping the import of dogs with cropped ears, there’s so this government promised, which has sadly found its way onto the Whitehall scrapheap. Emma Slawinksi (director of policy RSPCA)
Yet the strange issue is that Rishi Sunak is a devout Hindu, a religion that is known for being kind to animals. He made history when using the Bhagavad Gita (over the Bible) to be sworn in, and has told journalists that his deep faith guided his every decision as Prime Minister.
If you’ve ever done yoga, you’ll know that the main doctrines of the faith are ahimsa (do no harm) and karma (all living beings should be treated with respect, as Hindus believe in reincarnation for their actions in this life).
The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill was introduced in December 2023, following the colossal betrayal to animals with the scrapping of the Kept Animals Bill.
This new Bill solely focuses on a ban on live export of large animals for fattening and slaughter. But the Bill has holes as they will still be allowed to be live exported for breeding. Animal Justice Project
What About the Pending Animal Welfare Bill?
The Labour government is presently trying to secure a new kind of animal welfare Bill. But some critics say it has many flaws.
For instance, those who rescue dogs from abroad with docked tails, would not be able to do so. It needs a lot more work to make this a Bill to work for all creatures.
