Government response to Animal Sentience Committee’s report on the due regard to animal welfare

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has issued a response to the Committee’s report on the due regard to animal welfare, legislative compliance and enforcement

The Government’s response is summarised below:

Governance & Coordination

  • Rejected creating a central coordinating body or mandating specific resource allocations, citing cost and complexity. Instead, the government emphasised existing frameworks (like the Animal Health and Welfare Framework) and improvements in inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing.
  • Future plans include auditing local authorities’ enforcement of animal welfare laws.

Licensing, Inspections & Transparency

  • Licensing of farm businesses and regular inspections are under review following the Corry Review. Defra plans to consult on mandatory Animal Health and Welfare Reviews with a focus on veterinary-led guidance.
  • Data transparency on enforcement actions will be enhanced through a standardised dataset and potentially broader reporting mechanisms.
  • The government supports greater transparency in criteria for inspections but has no current plans to overhaul licensing or registration systems.

Pest Control & Wildlife Licensing

  • The government agreed that inspection protocols for pest control and guidance for humane methods are useful and will be reviewed, especially for non-licensable species.
  • For wild bird general licences, the government acknowledged limitations but maintained current oversight mechanisms, noting improvements in training and guidance.
  • Natural England uses a risk-based approach for compliance checks, supporting potential for more open (anonymised) reporting.

Reporting Mechanisms & Enforcement Tools

  • No new central reporting mechanism will be introduced, but government plans to raise awareness of existing pathways (like APHA’s helpline and local authority contacts).
  • Supports fixed penalties and improvement notices as tools, backed by statutory guidance and training. Feedback on new powers and returns from 2024 will inform future approaches.

Oversight & Agency Capacity

  • The government acknowledged issues with the effectiveness of animal seizure powers and is working with partners to resolve barriers.
  • APHA’s remit may be considered under the wider Arm’s Length Bodies Review, including their enforcement capacity and evidence-gathering ability.

Codes of Practice & Science Integration

  • Committed to updating codes of practice as needed, despite procedural delays requiring parliamentary approval. New zoo welfare standards were recently introduced.
  • Scientific evidence plays a central role in shaping both the codes and enforcement regimes, with inspections increasingly using animal-based outcome measures and formal risk protocols.

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