Petition · past parliament
Prioritise animal health & welfare & class animals as sentient under UK law.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Animals feel: pleasure, pain, anxiety, sadness. This is easy to recognise. Picture the excitement & happiness of a dog greeting a returning owner, or cowering in fear during a firework show. We are a nation of animal lovers, with a proud reputation and history for championing animal welfare.
MPs in the UK government voted 313 to 295 on 15th November 2017 to reject an amendment clause (NC30) that was intended to continue the legal protection afforded to animals under EU law once, post-Brexit, we have our own domestic laws in place.
Article 13 of Title II of the Lisbon Treaty is the current EU protocol covering animal sentience, meaning that under EU law animals are legally recognised as sentient beings.
The Oxford dictionary defines sentient as “able to perceive or feel things”.
Article 13 of Title II of the Lisbon Treaty is the current EU protocol covering animal sentience, meaning that under EU law animals are legally recognised as sentient beings.
The Oxford dictionary defines sentient as “able to perceive or feel things”.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 19 Nov 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 23 Nov 2017 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
23 Nov 2017
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.