Is It Time to Ban Greyhound Racing in England?
By Niamh McConnell In recent years, greyhound racing has come under increased scrutiny due to concerns surrounding thewelfare of the racing dogs. Although rules and regulations are currently in place to protect greyhounds,campaigners in the UK have called for the...
University of Birmingham Hosts UK’s Largest Animal Law Conference
The conference featured a special address from Animal Welfare Minister, Baroness Sue Hayman of Ullock. Earlier this month, the University of Birmingham hosted the UK Animal Law Conference, the largest event of its kind in the country. The conference was organised by...
How close are we to ending male chick culling in the UK?
By Jenny Canham, Public Affairs Lead at the Vegetarian Society In July 2025, I wrote ‘The Case for a UK Ban on Male Chick Culling’1, where I outlined how the practice remains legal under current UK animal protection law, the adoption of in-ovo sexing technology in...
Who Cares about Sharks in a War Zone?
By Jenny Bennett In a speech broadcast on Iranian public television (IRIB) on the 29th of March 2026, Iranian forces Lieutenant-Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaqari warned, "… (enemy) commanders and soldiers will be food for the sharks of the Persian Gulf”1. I fear for the...
Regulating Animal Rescue Charities: The Case for Licensing
By Niamh McConnell Currently, anyone in England and Wales can establish an animal rescue and rehoming centre. Although voluntary standards exist, being voluntary, they cannot be enforced. Consequently, some providers ignore these standards...
The First Insects in the World to Gain Explicit Legal Rights
by Niamh McConnell Bees play a vital role in pollination, sustaining the world’s food supply. It has been said that if bees were to disappear off the surface of the globe, humanity would only have four years of life left.1 They are particularly crucial...
Keynote Speaker Announcements and Call for Papers deadline extension to 4th February for the UK Animal Law Conference 2026
We are delighted to announce Melanie Challenger and Kim Stallwood as keynote speakers for the 6th UK Animal Law Conference, in addition to Kathy Hessler, as previously announced. The conference theme is The Future of Animal Law and takes place on 3-4 June at the...
New Danish Rules on Dog Breeding | Leading by Example
By the Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs (LAGECDogs) In early 2025, Denmark implemented a new law establishing minimum standards for dog breeding.[1] Under this law, no dog, whether purebred or mixed, may be used for breeding if the dog carries...
EU Adopts New Rules on Dog and Cat Welfare and Traceability, including proposals on extreme conformation
By the Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs (LAGECDogs) At the end of November 2025, the European Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement to adopt Regulations proposed in 2023 establishing minimum EU-wide standards for the welfare and...
Call for Papers now open for the 6th Annual UK Animal Law Conference
The UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW) and the Multispecies Collective at the University of Birmingham are delighted to announce that the Call for Papers is now open for the 6th Annual UK Animal Law Conference, which takes place 3-4 June 2026 at the University of...