Disturbing News

On 25th May 2023, the UK government (Conservative) dropped the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. The news was given in an oral statement to Parliament by Mark Spencer, the Minister for Farming and Rural Affairs.

The news is disturbing for everyone concerned for the welfare of animals. Included in the Bill were a range of items. The Bill addressed two issues key to sheep and their welfare. Legislation in the Bill was to ban exports from Great Britain of live animals for slaughter and fattening, and to get tougher on worrying and attacks by dogs on livestock. Sheep feature much as creatures of live exports. It is sheep, prey to dogs, who suffer worrying and attack from dogs.

Mark Spencer said ‘…we will be taking forward measures in the Kept Animals Bill individually during the remainder of the Parliament.’ (‘Oral statement to Parliament, Animal Welfare Statement: an update on the government’s progress on animal welfare’, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, 25th May 2023). Compassion in World Farming, hugely regretting the abandonment of the Bill, commented warningly - under a sub-title ‘Uncertain Future’ - that ‘Consequently, all measures under the Kept Animals Bill, will now be individually separated instead, to become possible Private Members Bills in the next Parliamentary year. Whether such Bills will be forthcoming and whether they will carry through before the next election is completely uncertain.’ (‘Government’s Kept Animals Bill Abandoned’, 25th May 2023). 

So, when will there be, and will there be, progress and legislation on two items of such great relevance for sheep?