The Guardian view on animal welfare: a timely reminder that cruelty is wrong | Editorial

LCaring for wildlife and improving the lives of farm and pet animals are the related but distinct aims of the government’s new animal welfare strategy for England. Its launch is timely: more than a billion chickens and around 8 million turkeys are raised each year, many of which are slaughtered in the run-up to Christmas. Winter is also peak season for pet abandonments, with animal welfare charities particularly fearful this year given the already high number of abandoned dogs and cats.

Pledges to end the use of cages for laying hens and cramped farrowing cages for pigs will be welcomed by all those who oppose animal cruelty. So will a proposal to replace stunning pigs with carbon dioxide with an alternative that is less painful for them. New rules for farmed fish are also in the works. Until now, fish have been largely excluded from the ever-changing set of regulations aimed at minimizing suffering at the time of slaughter.

Most European countries already protect breeding hares from hunters by banning the killing of these magnificent animals during the months they are raising their young. The announcement of a similar measure for England is long overdue. As former Conservative environment secretary George Eustice told the Guardian, “even the Victorians recognized the need for a closed season” when hare hunting is banned.

Pledges to ban snare traps and trail hunting – where dogs chase a scent rather than a fox – were included in Labor’s manifesto. Trail hunting is already banned in Scotland, and retaining it in England was a compromise when fox hunting was banned. Ministers will need to tread carefully if they are to avoid another row with rural organizations and their allies – after this week’s U-turn on inheritance tax, which will now apply to farms worth £2.5m instead of £1m. Rightly, the strategy recognizes the potential for negative impacts on farmers from higher welfare standards. He promises that trade policy will be used to protect them if imports with low levels of social protection gain an “unfair advantage”.

When it comes to pets, it is the interests of the owners that must be weighed against the welfare of the animals. With an estimated 10.6 million dogs across the UK, the Tenants’ Rights Bill includes a provision that should make it easier for private tenants in England to keep their pets. But the pet boom has also brought problems. A new registration system for dog breeders, aimed at eradicating mistreatment, as well as a review of international rescue programs are sensible measures. But enforcement action will be needed to confirm any changes. If councils and other agencies are not equipped to carry out inspections and investigations, animals will continue to suffer.

As Ministers know, animal welfare is valued by the public. Trickier issues such as the damage caused to wildlife by dogs and cats, carbon emissions from intensive farming and the need to reduce overall meat consumption are sidestepped in a strategy focused on recognizing animals as sentient beings. Many provisions here are subject to consultation and it may be years before they come into force. Other UK nations are already ahead in some respects. Electric shock collars for cats and dogs, for example, were banned in Wales in 2010. But ministers are right to highlight these problems. Animals should be treated with compassion, not cruelty. In a world that is changing rapidly for both humans and humans, the law must keep pace.

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