The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is implementing the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, a comprehensive reform programme to strengthen animal welfare standards, enforcement, and training across England. The pathway includes mandatory proposals, penalty notice frameworks, and provisions for improved consistency in animal welfare officer training and local authority coordination.
In response to: Animal Health and Welfare Pathway
Seeking views on proposed new measures to enhance livestock health and welfare for cattle, sheep and pigs in England.
The Pathway will push forward and support the gradual and continual improvement in farm animal health and welfare.
There are significant welfare concerns over the ‘puppy yoga’ trend, which involves the use of underage and potentially unvaccinated puppies in a setting that may be highly detrimental to their health and wellbeing. The Department should work with sector organisations …
Stud dogs should be brought within Licensing of Activities Involving Animals regulations. The inclusion of stud dogs would help give traceability and ensure welfare measures apply to male dogs kept for breeding, who otherwise fall outside the scope of the …
A more consistent approach to training and accreditation for animal welfare officers is needed. Existing variations in training and enforcement puts animal welfare at risk. A central unit of suitably trained inspectors should be established which can be utilised by …
The Bill should maintain the flexibility to allow ministers to adapt to future science and intelligence, but Defra should include a ban on animals younger than six months, heavily pregnant animals, and animals which have been subject to poor welfare …
We welcome the ban on export for slaughter and fattening as an important step in protecting animal welfare. We understand that the number of animal movements this ban will affect is small, however, we are concerned that there may be …
Defra should work with the organisations and businesses that will be affected by the ban on export for slaughter to ensure that the ban is introduced in a pragmatic way that will not adversely affect rural businesses or animal welfare. …
Defra should take action to protect small and medium abattoirs as a national strategic asset. These businesses should be supported and bolstered through the Future Farming Resilience Fund. Defra should set out and enact its approach to funding the UK …