Animal Law News
The latest news and views about animal protection law and policy in the UK and beyond. Written by our volunteer team and guest contributors.
Save the date: UK Animal Law Conference 3-4 June 2026
We are delighted to announce that the next UK Animal Law Conference will take place on 3–4 June 2026. Our 2026 theme is ‘The Future of Animal Law’. The conference will once again be held in...
The UK Centre for Animal Law (“A-Law’): Panel on The State of Animal Law: Policy, Courts, Academia
On 24th November 2025, A-Law was delighted to host a panel discussion on the current status of animal law for our friends and members. We took this opportunity to step back from the day to day work...
‘More Than Baggage’: European Multispecies Families
The Interpretation of Article 17(2) of the Montreal Convention in Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España (C-218/24) Companion animals are in many instances at the heart of family life and are widely...
2025 Annual Student Essay Competition Winners
Join us in extending congratulations to our winners of the 2025 Annual Student Essay Competition. In first place, Luke McLaughlin, second place, Julia Kadas, and in third place, Tilly...
From Resource to Rightsholder: Towards Legal Personhood for Whales
By Marianthi Baklava Following He Whakaputanga Moana (the landmark Declaration for the Ocean signed by Polynesian Indigenous leaders in March 2024), momentum continues to build for recognising...
Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain – Recent Update
By Divya Selvaraj The Zoo Licensing Act (1981) defines zookeeping as the keeping of an animal "when it is elsewhere in the personal possession of the operator of the zoo, or of competent persons...
Could Emerging Research on Snake Enrichment Influence Interpretation of the UK Animal Welfare Act?
By Bridget Craghill While snakes are often excluded from mainstream animal welfare discussions, new research is rapidly reshaping scientific and legal understandings of their needs. A new study...
The Case for a UK Ban on Male Chick Culling
by Jenny Canham Routine male chick culling in the UK Male chick culling is a routine practice in the UK egg industry. Every year, around 45 million male chicks are killed within just hours of being...
A Legal Imagination Made Real: The Paula Sparks World Moot on International Law and Animal Rights
By Josephine Götze, LL.M. candidate Imagine a world in which humans respect and protect the fundamental rights of non-human animals, such as the right to life, the right not to be exploited, or the...
“The trial of Bill Burn” – myth and facts
By Advocate Lior Harish The Iconic painting called "The trial of Bill Burn" (see below) is regarded by many (including the UK parliament) as portraying the...
RIGHTS OF NATURE AND NONHUMAN ANIMAL RIGHTS: CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN TOGETHER?
By David Lewis-Hall, Barrister The New Zealand Parliament has recently granted (1) legal personhood to a third natural entity, following Te Urewera (a forest) in 2014 (2) and Te Awa Tupua (the...
Puppy, Kuky and Sandro: Interspecies Justice Beyond the Friction of Mentalities
By Aldair Marins Violent interventionism, the theft of natural ethos and, consequently, the silencing of vital expressions have imposed a cruel fate on Puppy, Kuky and Sandro. For around three...
An obituary in honour of longstanding A-LAW Chairperson Paula Sparks
It is with great sadness – and an immense sense of loss – that we inform our friends and supporters that our wonderful Chairperson, Paula Sparks, passed away on the 30th of May 2025. Over the past...
More-than-Humanitarian Law
By Dr Dorien Braam During my doctoral research conducted in Jordan and Pakistan into the role of animals in forced migration and zoonoses - diseases transmissible between humans and animals - the...
New Trends for 2025: UK Paves the Way for Cultivated Meat in Pet Food
By Lawrence Topley In July 2024, the UK became the first European country to approve lab grown meat. Now, on 7 February 2025, the cell cultivated product has hit the shelves at Pets At Home in the...
De-Extinction: Considerations on Returning Wolves to the United Kingdom
By: Erin Poppenga As recognised by many countries worldwide, ecosystems are deteriorating because of invasive and destructive human behaviour. Ecological conditions can decline when certain species...
5th Annual UK Animal Law Conference: Call for Papers open until 28th January 2025
The UK Centre for Animal Law (A-LAW) and Birmingham City University’s Animals, Nature & Society Research Stream are excited to announce they will co-host the 5th Annual Animal Law Conference on...
Interview with Jean Claude Masengesho, Founder of the Rwanda Animal Welfare Organization (‘RAWO’)
RAWO’s website boldly states, “Let’s take care of animals”, and that is precisely what the charity does. Based in the Musanze district of Rwanda, its objective is to advance animal welfare in the...
Scottish Snare Ban Comes into Force
Scotland has become the second UK administration to implement a full ban on wire snares to capture wild animals, such as foxes and rabbits. Measures introduced in the Wildlife...
2024 Annual Student Essay Competition Winners
Join us in extending congratulations to our winners of the 2024 Annual Student Essay Competition. In first place, Archie Philips, in second place, Hannah White and in third place, Sylvia...
The Updated Renters’ Rights Bill (2024) Awaits its Second Reading in the House of Commons – but still no progress on improving security for companion animals
The revised version of the new Government's Renters' Rights Bill has been introduced in the Commons. This Bill aims to give renters more stability and security in the process of renting homes,...
Celebrating the Second National Animal Law Day
Honouring Richard Martin MP written by guest author Erin Poppenga The first animal to receive justice for suffering extreme...
Pet Abduction Act 2024
The Pet Abduction Bill 2023-24 received Royal Assent on 24th May 2024. The Pet Abduction Act 2024 will come into force in England and Northern Ireland in August 2024. Prior to the Act coming...
He Whakaputanga Moana, or, Declaration for the Ocean
by Ankita Shanker LLB (R’dg), BCL (Oxf), BPTC (BPP) 28 March 2024 was a historic day for the Animal Rights movement, as indigenous leaders of various Pacific Islands banded together to ratify...
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Blogs are usually 500-1000 words and concern a timely/relevant topic in animal law, from anywhere in the world. Pieces must have a legal foundation and we try to avoid opinion that isn’t fully grounded in law. Please confirm your topic with us via [email protected]. However, if you have already written the blog and you think fits these guideliens, we may be able to publish it. Please send drafts with no special formatting. Please cite sources for all facts and claims made, by including citation information in parentheticals and not internal links or footnotes (this is just so we can more clearly and easily copy the info onto the site). We reserve the right to edit your blog as well as decline publishing if it does not fit within our guidelines. All blogs and questions can be submitted to [email protected].
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