ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS (No. 2)

That this House welcomes the assurances from Government that animal welfare standards will be maintained or improved in the event of the UK leaving the European Union and that animal sentience will be recognised in UK law; urges the Government to table the Animals Welfare (Sentience) Bill without further delay; notes that Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty imposes a clear obligation on governments to pay due regard to the welfare requirements of animals, as sentient beings, when formulating and implementing law and policy in areas of EU competence; further notes that Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty was not converted into UK law by the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018; and calls on the Government to act swiftly to implement this obligation, to expand it to include all policy areas, make it it applicable to all public bodies, and to implement it through a transparent, accountable and independent process to ensure that animals' welfare needs are met when formulating future policy.