ANNUAL REVIEW 2022 15
TOGETHER WE CAMPAIGN
Animal welfare wins in 2022
It was a turbulent year for the Westminster Government, with many promised animal
welfare reforms being delayed, but there were still some good wins.
Animal sentience
recognised in law
The new Animal Sentience Act
acknowledges that animals -
including cephalopods (such as
octopus and squid) and decapods
(such as lobsters and crabs) -
have feelings and emotions.
This means the UK Government's
actions will be assessed to
ensure it has taken into account
animals' needs when making
policy decisions.
New penalties for
welfare crimes
Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) are
to be introduced for any person
responsible for animals who
breaks certain animal welfare laws.
With fines up to £5,000, FPNs will
be a quicker way to enforce laws
on the spot.
Cruel glue traps
banned
These deadly boards are used to
trap rodents but actually maim
and kill non-target animals in
73 percent of cases. They will be
banned for use by the public in
England and Wales.
Animal welfare
rewards for
farmers
A new grants scheme was
approved for farmers in England
who want to improve animal
welfare - for example by providing
environmental enrichment.
Payments under the scheme could
incentivise the transition to cagefree
accommodation for hens and
free-farrowing for pigs. A similar
scheme is hoped for in Wales.
Hare coursing
The police were given new
powers to tackle hare coursing
and are already cracking down,
particularly in Lincolnshire where
hare coursing is prevalent.
How we did it
Our supporters took
more than
140,000campaign actions
Our biggest
campaign, against
the use of animals in
ITV's I'm a celebrity…
get me out of here!,
prompted more than
19,000
actions
The Sentience Bill
was supported by
16,000
actions
Of the pieces
of legislation
we promoted,
parliament adopted
five and began
three