Animal Sentience Committee: Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act report
Published 19 February 2024
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The Animal Sentience Committee has considered the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act.
We consider that there are no significant negative implications or animal welfare impacts in respect of the proposed legislation.
The act should generally have positive consequences for animal welfare. The policy team will be consulting experts and undertaking impact assessments to make sure there are no unintended consequences for institutions such as sanctuaries, that are doing good work with animals and are supported by tourist income.
Due to its reliance on national legislation, the act applies only to animals in human care. But clarity about where human care starts and finishes in the context of tourist interactions with wildlife would be helpful.
The committee considers the intentions of this act to have a beneficial outcome on animal welfare.
Governance
The Animal Sentience Committee members who were responsible for developing this report are:
- Professor Christine Nicol
- Professor Richard Bennett
This report was produced in January 2024.
Read more about the Animal Sentience Committee.