Committees

Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill

Inquiry

“Animal sentience” is the capability of an animal to perceive or feel things. Animal sentience is enshrined in European law but this was not retained in domestic law before the Transition Period ended on 1 January 2021, following the UK’s departure from the European Union.

On 13 May, the Government’s Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill received its First Reading in the House of Lords. If passed, the Bill will apply to vertebrate animals (except humans) and establish an Animal Sentience Committee (ASC).

This inquiry will consider the proposed ASC, and ask whether it will ensure that animal sentience is properly taken into account in both new and existing Government policy in England. The inquiry will also examine whether there are sufficient safeguards to ensure that the proposed ASC will be independent, and have the necessary expertise and powers to be effective. The inquiry will look at whether the requirement for the Government to respond to a report of the ASC will be sufficient, and how the proposed ASC compares to similar bodies elsewhere. The inquiry will also ask if the Government is correct to limit the scope of the Bill to vertebrate animals.

Read the call for evidence for more information about this inquiry.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Tuesday 7 September 2021
2:00pm Private
2:30pm Public
Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill - Oral evidence 7 September 2021
2:30pm
  • Rt Hon The Lord Benyon (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  • Marc Casale (Deputy Director and Head of Animal Welfare at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Room 16, Palace of Westminster
Monday 19 July 2021
4:00pm Private
4:15pm Public
Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill - Oral evidence 19 July 2021
4:15pm
  • Dr Penny Hawkins (Head, Animals in Science Department at Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
  • Tim Bonner (Chief Executive at Countryside Alliance)
  • Dr Jonathan Birch (Associate Professor, Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at London School of Economics (LSE))
5:30pm
  • Dr Michael Radford (Reader in Animal Welfare Law and UK Constitutional Law at University of Aberdeen)
  • Steven McCulloch (Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Studies at University of Winchester)
  • Dr Nick Palmer (Head of Compassion in World Farming UK at Compassion in World Farming)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster

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  • Email: efracom@parliament.uk
  • Phone: Media enquiries: 020 7219 3138
  • Address: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA