Committee publication · Correspondence · 14 April 2026
Correspondence from the Chair of the Animal Sentience Committee relating to the Animal Welfare Strategy, dated 23 March 2026
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Animal and plant health
Summary
The Animal Sentience Committee Chair writes to the EFRA Committee on 23 March 2026, transmitting the Committee's opinion on the Government's Animal Welfare Strategy 2025. The opinion, led by Professor Richard Bennett, welcomes the Strategy's direction but identifies gaps: unclear priority-setting, absent key performance indicators, inconsistency across animal sectors, and questions about whether current legislation (particularly the Animal Welfare Act) is fit for purpose. The Committee urges greater integration, clearer welfare labelling, and extension of animal protections to decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs.
Key findings
- The Animal Sentience Committee welcomes the Strategy's ambition to achieve step-change in animal welfare by 2030 but notes limited resources require clearer evidence-based assessment of priority issues.
- Few key performance indicators are associated with the Strategy; the Committee identifies this as an opportunity to measure welfare outcomes in a recognised manner for proper scrutiny.
- Current Animal Welfare Act may not be fit for purpose; Committee questions whether it adequately protects all sentient animals, including decapod crustaceans, cephalopod molluscs, and wild animals under specific circumstances.
- Committee's recent enforcement report raises concerns about whether the current regulatory system is sufficient and whether adequate resources will be available for effective monitoring and enforcement.
- Welfare labelling in food products is critical to market-driven welfare improvement; Strategy should address whether overseas produce with lower welfare standards has unfair advantage over UK producers.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Alistair Carmichael, Animal Sentience Committee, Michael Seals, Professor Richard Bennett, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Notable line
“The committee notes that there are few clear KPIs associated with the Strategy. This is an opportunity to address and identify and measure welfare outcomes in a recognised manner and would be important …”
Key Quotes
“The Animal Sentience Committee warmly welcomes the Government's Animal Welfare Strategy”
“In a situation of limited resources, the Strategy would benefit from reference to a clear (evidenced) assessment of the most pressing animal welfare issues for selection of priority policy areas.”
“The committee questions whether current legislation is fit for purpose to achieve the aims of the Strategy. For example, the Animal Welfare Act could be updated to include protection of all sentient animals, including decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs.”
“The power of the market to improve animal welfare in farmed products cannot be harnessed without a credible system of welfare food labelling which allows consumers to make informed decisions in relation to their …”
“The Animal Sentience Committee welcomes and recognises the significance of this Animal Welfare Strategy.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗