Parliament just passed the Animal Sentience Bill!

Great to see this movement starting to happen around the world… ‘We did it! People Power won for animals today – Parliament just passed the Animal Sentience Bill! The legislation recognises that all vertebrate animals plus decapod crustaceans (like lobsters) and cephalopods (like the octopus) are sentient, meaning that they are capable of experiencing feelings and emotions such as pain, pleasure and fear. The law creates a requirement for Ministers to take sentient animals’ welfare needs into account when making all new laws and policies. It also creates a brand new Animal Sentience Committee, which will scrutinise whether the government is taking care of animal welfare properly, and publish recommendations for improvements. We’ve been lobbying hard for this law for several years, and want to thank and congratulate our thousands of supporters for taking action to show MPs and Ministers how much support there is for this critical piece of legislation. When we speak with one voice for animals, we can make great progress!’ Humane Society International UK