UK Centre for Animal Law (A-Law)

🐷 The government is consulting on phasing out CO₂ stunning of pigs, which causes significant pain and distress and affects around 25,000 pigs a day in the UK. ⏰ Anyone can respond by 21 December 2026: consultations.defra.gov.uk/p… #PigWelfare

🚨 New York City Council has voted 40–7 to ban horse-drawn carriages by June 2028! 🐴 Romanch’s Law marks a significant step forward for the welfare of the city’s carriage horses. #AnimalWelfare #HorseWelfare #NewYorkCity

⚖️ What’s happening for animals in Northern Ireland? Our October parliamentary update explores action on animal welfare in Northern Ireland. Thank you to our volunteers for their research! 👏🏻 #AnimalLaw #AnimalWelfare #NorthernIreland

📢 NEW REPORT: Putting Animals Back into the Animal Welfare Act 20 years on, a new Animal Law Foundation report highlights the gap between the Animal Welfare Act 2006’s intended protections and their enforcement in practice. 🦆 Read the report: animallawfoundation.org/repo…

🐔 Speak up for Frankenchickens! Join UK Voters for Animals’ Mass Lobby Day in Westminster on 10 November, 10am–5pm. Meet your MP and call for a clear plan to phase out fast-growing chickens bred for meat. 🔗 Find out more, sign up and email your MP: ukvotersforanimals.org

Registration is open for Grey2K USA Worldwide’s Greyhounds Around the Globe Conference in London on 7 November! 🐕 Join experts working to end greyhound racing worldwide. 🎟️ Register: grey2kusa.org/about/worldwid… 🎓 Free student places, contact [email protected] #greyglobe

At the Labour and Liberal Democrat party conferences, A-LAW joined conversations about how law and policy can better protect animals. We welcomed the opportunity to engage with MPs, campaigners and policymakers working to turn commitments into meaningful change for animals.

A-LAW Chair Sonul Badiani-Hamment joined animal welfare experts at Defra Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Conference at Kew Gardens. Sonul highlighted the need for clear laws, robust enforcement and appropriate sentencing to ensure meaningful protection for animals.

⚖️ What’s Parliament doing for animals? A-Law brings you updates from across the UK’s four nations, looking at how much – or how little – is being done to improve animal welfare. Today: Westminster 🇬🇧 and Holyrood 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 👏🏼 Thanks to our volunteers for researching. #AnimalLaw

🐷 On 19 October, Foodrise and others will hold a Mass Lobby Day at UK Parliament calling for an end to factory farming. Campaigners will meet MPs to discuss animal welfare, environmental and community impacts. 📍 Westminster ⏰ 2–5pm 🔗 action.foodrise.org.uk/page/… #FactoryFarming

⚖️ The Upper Tribunal has ruled that secrecy surrounding UK animal experiments is unlawful, following a Freedom of Information case brought by Cruelty Free International. 🐰 Read more: crueltyfreeinternational.org… 

📖 More from the latest UK Journal of Animal Law! 🐕 Stephen Forster examines criminal liability for dog-on-dog attacks. 🦋 Acland Bryant explores why biodiversity net gain does not necessarily improve animal welfare. 🔗 alaw.org.uk/wp-content/uploa… #AnimalLaw

🎆 Just under 3 weeks left to respond to the UK Government’s fireworks consultation! 🐾 Have your say on protecting animals from firework-related distress. ⏰ Closes 7 October. 🔗 gov.uk/government/consultati…

🐺 Federal protections for wolves are under threat in the US. President Trump has ordered a review of whether gray and Mexican gray wolves should be delisted or downlisted under the Endangered Species Act. 📎 Read more: theguardian.com/us-news/2026… #AnimalLaw #Wolves

The latest issue of The UK Journal of Animal Law is out now! 📖 Inside: ⚖️ Desmond’s Law 🥛 Dairy UK v Oatly 🐖 Emergency killing on farms It marks Jill Williams’ final edition as Editor. We thank Jill for her invaluable contribution. 📎 alaw.org.uk/wp-content/uploa… #AnimalLaw

Congratulations to the Animal Welfare Evidence Centre (AWEC) on its launch - and to the @RSPCA_official for leading it! 🎉 Great to see @ciwf, @humaneworlduk and @FOURPAWSUK playing central roles. We look forward to working together! #AWEC #AnimalWelfare

🕊️ NEWS: UK Government launches call for evidence on gamebird shooting in England The review will examine the impacts of gamebird rearing, release and shooting. Open until 1 November 2026. 🔗 consultations.defra.gov.uk/c… #AnimalWelfare #Gamebirds

🇬🇧 NEW BLOG: Could a River Go to Court? Understanding the UK’a Groundbreaking Nature’s Rights Bill 🌿 Luana Miu explores the Bill currently before the HofL and what recognising nature as a rights-bearing entity could mean for UK environmental law. 🔗 alaw.org.uk/blog/2026/09/03/…

🇪🇸 NEW BLOG: From Property to Sentient Beings 🐈 Thalía López Sancho explores how Spanish law has shifted from treating companion animals as property to recognising them as sentient beings, and the challenges that remain. 🔗 alaw.org.uk/blog/2026/09/01/… #AnimalLaw #SpanishLaw

🇨🇴 NEW BLOG: Colombia versus the UK – two approaches to animal sentience 🐾 Johana Fernanda Sánchez Jaramillo compares their differing legal approaches in the first of our three-part Across Borders series. 🔗 alaw.org.uk/blog/2026/08/20/… #AnimalLaw #AnimalSentience