The implications of Brexit on animal welfare
Ben Rayner, Political Consultant
| Dods Monitoring
In the first of a series of upcoming articles analysing the impact of Brexit on the Natural Environment, Dods Monitoring’s Environment Consultant Ben Rayner assesses if Brexit will provide a golden opportunity to revolutionise animal welfare.
If you were to ask MPs to list the most reoccurring letters they receive from their constituents you might be surprised to hear that one of the most common themes is not the economy, the NHS or transport but in fact animal welfare. Yet despite this, the post-Brexit discourse has barely touched the surface on what the potential fallout may be for a self-proclaimed “nation of animal lovers”.
Before analysing the potential implications of Brexit it is important to recognise the leading role Britain has played on the world stage concerning animal welfare. In 1822 Britain became one of the first countries to pass any form of protective legislation for farm animals, and over the years we have built up a strong domestic record eclipsing the likes of the US and China especially in relation to animal cruelty. To this day both the Hunting Act 2004 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006 are rightly hailed as key pieces of legislation and have set a high minimum standard for animals. There will no doubt be calls for the main principles of these Acts to remain regardless of what deal we do or don’t make with the EU.
However, that does not mean Brexit doesn’t present threats to animal welfare. Over Britain’s 42-year political relationship with Europe 44 EU laws have come into force concerning animals, only 13 of these have been implemented into existing UK legislation. Most of these cover farm animals and have set standards over how farm animals are produced, transported and slaughtered in addition to covering matters of animal research and wildlife. If the UK were to take no action prior to our departure from the EU, these laws would cease to apply.
This presents a potential legislative nightmare for the Government, one which could take years to fix, during which people could openly break old EU laws without any consequences, and there is no guarantee that a future UK Government would reintroduce the same level of safeguards as before.
International treaties are seen by some as a life jacket against the loss of crucial regulation with the UK party to a number of major treaties many of which deal with animal welfare. This is true in a number of ways with CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) being one of the more well-known treaties, providing protections for endangered wildlife. However, in many cases EU law is more detailed than EU treaties and as a result more stringent, in comparison to treaties which are often vaguely worded and built on negotiation and compromise between nations. As a result, if the UK was to solely rely on treaties such as CITES we would see a reduction in animal welfare standards.
Leaving the European Union could prove to be a golden opportunity for the UK to become a flag bearer for animal welfare across the world and push standards higher than the EU ever could. However, it could also prove to be the start of a decline in animal standards, with the desire for quick and profitable trade deals driving down quality and standards across the board as the UK seeks to build relations across the globe. Will animal welfare lose out to the interests of globalisation? Only time will tell.
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