Sponsored: ‘The Animal Welfare Strategy: Turning promises into progress for animals’ – LabourList

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The Government brought 2025 to a close by unveiling its Animal Welfare Strategy, promising to ‘deliver the most ambitious reforms to animal welfare in a generation’. Here are some of the highlights, challenges and important next steps from Humane World for Animals’ perspective: 

More freedom on farms

Phasing out the use of cages in farming will improve the lives of millions of chickens and pigs. In a statement to Parliament last week, Secretary of State Emma Reynolds explained the Government’s intention to phase out the use of farrowing crates used to hold mother pigs for up to five weeks at a time ‘so that animals can express their normal behaviours’.

This laudable purpose is precisely why pig cages must be gone for good, not replaced with ‘flexible’ or ‘temporary’ crates where sows are caged for fewer days but still suffer because they are unable to perform highly motivated behaviours like nest building around the time they give birth.

Our polling found that more than two thirds (69%) of the British public think mother pigs should only be allowed to be confined for a few hours where necessary, such as for veterinary procedures. Public opinion is clear: a cage is a cage. 

Respect for wildlife

It’s extremely welcome that the Government will act to crackdown on illegal hunting with dogs, including under the ‘smokescreen’ of trail hunting. Similarly welcome are plans to ban of the use of snares, introduce a closed season on hare shooting and a commitment to review and potentially increase penalties for cruelty against wildlife.

Absent from the plan is a recognition of the critical need to make wildlife crimes notifiable offences. The lack of consistent data collection and reporting is obscuring understanding of the national picture and hampering strategic policing and resource allocation to tackle violent and anti-social wildlife crimes including badger baiting and hare coursing.

Hunting for a ban on hunting trophies?

We are surprised and disappointed that the Strategy does not include a pathway to banning the importation of hunting trophies, a Labour manifesto commitment. The Government justified this exclusion by labelling it a conservation issue, but animals abroad being cruelly killed for ‘sport’ should also be seen through an animal welfare lens.

Several attempts to deliver this ban through private members’ bills have been frustrated; a Government bill is urgently needed for this to become law.

SPS hostages

The shadow of trade policy looms over many positive measures set out in the Strategy. Without specific animal welfare safeguards in our trade agreements, including the SPS (Agrifood) Agreement currently being negotiated with the EU, the UK risks surrendering its ability to ban the import of cruel products such as fur, foie gras and animal products which are produced to lower standards than the UK legal baseline.

The SPS negotiations appear to be holding the Government back from committing to a ban on fur imports, despite previous Labour pledges that ‘a Labour Britain would be a compassionate, fur-free Britain’. The double standard of banning cruel fur farming domestically but continuing to import the same suffering from overseas is at odds with both public and political opinion.

Mandatory methods of production labelling for meat products, a measure supported by 77% of the public, is also a hostage of the EU SPS deal.  Defra’s evidence shows that clear and informative labelling would empower ethical choices and reward British farmers who uphold higher standards. Lockstep alignment with the EU could prevent us from introducing animal welfare food labels that the British public overwhelmingly support.

As negotiations with the EU and other partners progress, ministers must ensure that animal welfare standards are a foundation of trade agreements, not a casualty of compromise. 

Turning promises into progress: the need for Parliamentary scrutiny

The Strategy is a welcome signal that this Government cares about animals, as well as the millions of voters who want better protections for them. Now animals need bold intentions to be followed by bold and rapid actions. Parliament must be given the time and information to allow MPs and Peers to interrogate the plan, press for clarity where needed, and undertake ongoing evaluation of progress and impact. An annual Animal Welfare Progress Report and debate would allow Parliament to publicly scrutinise how the Government is delivering on its animal welfare ambitions, celebrating progress and delivering accountability. 

If you are an MP and would like to support our call for an annual animal welfare report and Parliamentary debate, please submit questions on the Strategy by Thursday 29 January in time for the next Defra oral questions scheduled for Thursday 5 February.

Contact us ([email protected]) with any questions or for assistance. 

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