Tag : animal welfare

25 Feb 2020

University of Aberdeen Law Students Assist with Scottish Bill Submission

As law students, we spend more time studying than experiencing the actual law-making process. Since we all have a strong interest in animal welfare and related studies at the University of Aberdeen, we excitedly welcomed the opportunity to work alongside Mike Radford on a joint submission for the public consultation on the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill. While the intention behind the bill – to increase the maximum penalties for welfare offences – is commendable, we […]

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11 Feb 2020

The Ramifications of Breeding Brachycephalic Dogs

By Julia Lee Heaving and wheezing, panting and collapsing, brachycephalic dogs struggle to breathe and survive due to severe morphological abnormalities, including the recognised characteristics of short-face and airway obstruction. Brachycephalic dogs includes pugs, bulldogs, boxers, and Staffordshire terriers. Witnessing their health struggles is distressing from any perspective, but for a veterinarian it’s even more frustrating to treat these conditions when they are predictable, resulting from selective breeding. Breeding these traits results in severe welfare problems, which to many vets […]

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14 Jan 2020

The recognition of ‘ethical veganism’ under the law

by Sharan Chohan A recent case has garnered a great deal of media coverage for recognising ‘ethical veganism’ as protected under the law. An Employment Tribunal recognised ethical veganism as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, which makes it illegal for somebody to be discriminated against because of protected characteristics including religion or belief, race, sex, age, and disability. Mr Jordi Casamitjana was formerly employed by the League Against Cruel Sports, a charity that campaigns against blood sports. […]

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26 Jun 2019

Animal sentience within the law – an international perspective by Grace Hudson

Animal sentience broadly refers to the ability of animals to feel, for example, by experiencing pain, pleasure, or suffering. Scientific literature generally accepts that all vertebrate species are sentient, and increasing research shows that invertebrate species are also sentient.[1] As early as the 1800s, Darwin proposed that some animals were capable of self-consciousness, a trait previously assumed to be solely human. Research has since shown that animals including dolphins, elephants, and magpies are capable of mirror self-recognition.[2] Despite the extensive […]

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25 Apr 2019

April Book of the Month: ‘Sentience and Animal Welfare’ by Professor Donald Broom

Each month we will be featuring a ‘Book of the month.’ We will be selecting from books about animals that our readership finds interesting and informative. If you come across an interesting animal related book (science, law, ethics, policy or simply general interest) please send us your nomination along with the reasons for your choice. Our first book of the month is Sentience and Animal Welfare by Donald Broom, Professor of Animal Welfare (Emeritus) at the University of Cambridge. From […]

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23 Apr 2019

Wild Animal Welfare Committee (WAWC) Conference 2019

Paula Sparks and Natalie Harney report on the Wild Animal Welfare Committee (WAWC) Conference 2019. We had the recent privilege of attending the second conference hosted by WAWC, a body that provides independent advice about the welfare of free-living wild animals in the UK. We would suggest that what emerged from this thoroughly interesting and informative conference was a consensus that the current legislative regime protecting wild animals leaves much to be desired, that much work remains to be done […]

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28 Oct 2018

My time as an MSc Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law student at the University of Glasgow by Megan Baker

Last September, I began studying an MSc in Animal Welfare, Science, Ethics and Law at the University of Glasgow. The course is split into three semesters: the first focusing on science research skills, the second ethics and law, with the third dedicated to completing the dissertation or “research project”. Before this I gained my undergraduate degree in law at the University of Birmingham, which is where I became interested in the idea of animal law. During the course of my […]

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23 Oct 2018

Donkey Attractions are not Attractive: How Spanish traditions and tourist attractions are causing donkey cruelty by Riley Forson

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always held a special place in my heart for donkeys. This summer I visited El Refugio Del Burrito, and, as always, was humbled by the warmth and affection of the donkeys I saw, especially considering the abject suffering they have been through to find a home with the charity. El Refugio Del Burrito, alongside its UK counter-part, The Donkey Sanctuary, works tirelessly to try to end the cruelty inflicted on donkeys […]

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21 Oct 2018

A-law teams up with WCL and Leigh Day to host Seminar about farming and animal welfare post-Brexit

On Monday 19th November 2018 A-law will be c0-hosting a free seminar with Wildlife & Countryside Link and Leigh Day about farming and animal welfare post-Brexit. The seminar, entitled ‘Agriculture & Animal Welfare Post-Brexit’, takes place in Central London from 2:00pm – 4:3opm and will feature the following presentations: Chair’s Introduction Carol Day, Consultant Solicitor, Leigh Day ‘The Agriculture Bill: Will it Secure a Green Brexit?’ Thomas Lancaster, Principal Policy Officer for Agriculture at the RSPB and Vice-Chair of the […]

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14 Oct 2018

Pepys, Phyla & Philosophy: A History of Animal Welfare Law in the UK (Part One) by Corrina Lewis

This is the first in a series of posts focusing on the history and philosophy of UK animal law, containing a brief overview and looking at some of the people whose ideas have shaped the view of animals that informs our laws today. Throughout history humanity has drawn some fairly arbitrary lines between different animal species when choosing friends, foes, and food. Cats were worshipped in ancient Egypt, dogs have been our companions for thousands of years, yet other species […]

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