It is also important to understand that the Bill tasks the Animal Sentience Committee with scrutinising the process by which Ministers arrive at policy decisions.
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The Scottish Government have their own counterpart to the Animal Sentience Committee already, while Wales and Northern Ireland have the powers to establish equivalent bodies, should they wish to do so.
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#Spain animal sentience free
Ministers will remain free to determine the right balance between animal welfare and other important considerations.ĭevolved matters are also excluded from the Bill’s provisions. While its aim is to improve the policy and decision-making processes of Government, the committee’s reports will not bind Ministers to any particular course of action. I want to be clear about what the Bill does and does not do. I point out that those particular animals have been recognised in our law as sentient since at least 1911. The Bill does include birds, since they are vertebrates, and it includes fish, since they are vertebrates. That is to be used if there is good scientific evidence that those particular species are sentient. The Bill contains a delegated power for Ministers to add by regulation other species to the definition of animals. That means they are capable of experiencing pain or suffering. Finally, the wording of the Bill offers recognition that non-human vertebrates-that is, animals with a spine-and additionally decapod crustaceans, such as lobsters, and cephalopod molluscs, such as octopuses, are sentient. Thirdly, Ministers will be held to account through a duty to respond to the committee’s reports by means of a written statement to Parliament, and Parliament must receive such responses within three months. In each instance, it will publish a report containing its views on whether Ministers have had all due regard to the welfare needs of animals as sentient beings. Secondly, it tasks that committee with scrutinising Ministers’ policy formation and the implementation of decisions. First, it establishes an Animal Sentience Committee, whose members the Secretary of State will appoint on the basis of expertise and experience. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish) for his Committee’s work in scrutinising our proposals. The key thing is that an adverse effect can mean a failure to make a change or consider a change that would have a positive impact on the welfare of animals, so I do not share any concerns about that expression. I think this matter was dealt with extensively by my noble Friend, Lord Benyon. Although that did not really mean very much, we believe we can now do better through this Bill. During the European Union era, the UK was a signatory to article 13 of the Lisbon treaty, which offered a form of legal recognition of the sentience of animals.
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The Labour party has also made its contribution: our Parliament updated the 1911 Act with the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which introduced a robust framework and powers for protecting all kept animals in England and Wales.Įvery piece of animal welfare legislation passed by this House since 1822 has implicitly recognised the sentience of animals. That Government then updated the law on animal experiments with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which remains an international gold standard. One of the first actions taken by Margaret Thatcher’s Government was the introduction of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, announced to this House in July 1979 by Peter Walker. More recently, there have been further improvements. This House also passed the landmark Protection of Animals Act 1911, an Act emulated by many other countries around the world. In 1875, we were the first country to introduce measures to improve conditions in slaughterhouses. In 1876, we were the first country to pass legislation regulating experiments on animals.
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The United Kingdom was the first country in the world to pass legislation to protect animals with the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act 1822. I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.