Petition · past parliament
Animal Sentience as set out in the Lisbon Treaty to be enshrined in UK law
Rejected
11 signatures
What the petition asks
Enshrining animal sentience in UK law would acknowledge animals as being capable of feelings such as pain and fear. It's a founding principle of animal welfare and the government must maintain current standards so that the UK will continue to be respected for our high standards of animal welfare.
Following a parliamentary debate on the EU Withdrawal Bill, MPs voted to reject the inclusion of a crucial clause that would transfer the recognition of animal sentience into UK law, so that animals would continue to be recognised as sentient beings under domestic law post-Brexit. Despite what MPs have said about this decision, the British Veterinary Association and Veterinary Surgeons around the country are extremely concerned that a majority of MPs have voted-down this seminal clause.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 23 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.