Good news for foxes and hares, but does the Government’s new Animal Welfare Strategy for England stand up to scrutiny?
Born Free responds to new proposals billed as ‘the most ambitious animal welfare strategy in a generation’
The UK Government has today launched its highly anticipated Animal Welfare Strategy for England 2025. According to Ministers, the strategy aims to deliver the most ambitious animal welfare strategy in a generation. The new strategy includes a broad suite of initiatives affecting pets, farmed animals, laboratory animals and wildlife.
Key measures within the strategy aimed at reducing harms to wild animals include proposals to ban trail hunting in England and Wales and close loopholes in the Hunting Act that have enabled hunts to continue killing wild animals with dogs, fulfilling a clear manifesto commitment. Born Free, as a member of the Time for Change Coalition, has long called for such reforms.
The introduction of a close season for the shooting of hares in England and Wales will help prevent the starvation of many thousands of dependent leverets and help fragile populations recover. Hares are currently the only ‘game’ species that are not protected against being shot for sport during their breeding season. Born Free has been working with Parliamentarians to secure a close season for many years, in order to address animal suffering and bring England and Wales into line with Scotland, Northern Ireland and most of the rest of Europe.
The intention to ban cruel snares and traps will also prevent the suffering of many target and non-target animals, and the commitment to review and strengthen penalties for cruelty against wildlife so that they are consistent with higher levels of sentencing available for animal welfare offences against pets and farmed animals, represent welcome and much-needed changes.
Responding to the announcement, Born Free’s Head of Policy, Dr Mark Jones, said: “Born Free welcomes the publication of the government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, which includes measures that will help address some of the most egregious human activities that currently cause wild animals to suffer on an industrial scale, and to introduce stricter penalties for perpetrators. Hares, foxes, and many other wild species stand to benefit. However, strategies come and strategies go, so the real test of this government’s mettle will be in how its promises are translated into law and implemented through policy. We call on the government to turn this strategy into a reality by prioritising the measures in its legislative agenda without delay, and by ensuring that the necessary resources will be made available to ensure the new measures can be effectively and robustly implemented.
“We are, however, disappointed that the government has failed to address a number of key issues affecting wild animals both here in the UK and overseas. The strategy fails to identify the opportunities for the UK government to use its clout by linking the elimination of egregious practices (such as the slaughter of whales and dolphins in the Faroe Islands) to trade deals; there is an urgent need to overhaul the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals regulations; secondary legislation is needed to bring the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act into effect; the trade in and keeping of wild animals as pets is out of control; the game bird shooting industry needs to be reined in; and measures introduced by the previous government on zoo animal welfare and the keeping of pet primates remain woefully inadequate. We also need a clear definition of wild animal rescue and rehabilitation centres, together with a separate licensing system that recognises their unique and vital role. The omission of these and other issues demonstrates a lack of ambition and represents a serious missed opportunity.”
One stark omission from the strategy is the lack of reference to the government’s pledge to ban the import of hunting trophies. While we understand that this will be taken forward as a conservation measure, trophy hunting raises serious animal welfare concerns which should surely have been reflected by government in its animal welfare strategy.
Born Free will continue to work with government to secure the effective implementation of the strategy, while also pushing for further actions to address the wider issues affecting the welfare of wild animals that honours the sentience and intrinsic value of animals, and ensures that Britain can live up to its self-nominated claim to be a nation of animal lovers.