Petition · past parliament
Include animal sentience in the EU Withdrawal Bill
Rejected
11 signatures
What the petition asks
On November 21st parliament voted to exclude an EU provision that wild, domestic, and farmed animals are sentient (and so feel pain) from the EU Withdrawal Bill.
This was done on the grounds that the UK's existing animal welfare bill gives adequate protection. However, existing UK legislation does not cover wild animals, and does not accept that animals feel pain and fear. The UK needs animal sentience to be enshrined in law to ensure its high animal welfare standards continue after Brexit, and it's hunting bans are not eroded.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 22 Nov 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 24 Nov 2017 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
11
Status
Rejected
Rejected
24 Nov 2017
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.