Petition · past parliament

Acknowledge that animals are sentient beings that feel pain and have emotions

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

The Tories have voted that all animals aren’t capable of feeling pain or having any emotions. The government has ignored science that proves that animals are sentient beings, the EU laws for animal rights makes up about 80% of our full animal rights laws. Show the government we won’t stand for this
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-government-vote-animal-sentience-cant-feel-pain-eu-withdrawal-bill-anti-science-tory-mps-a8065161.html

Video on link and information from this link

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

The Government has already published a draft law, called the Draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill 2017. The Government says that this draft law "does two things. It states that animals are sentient beings and it increases the maximum penalty for animal welfare cruelty offences from 6 months to 5 years imprisonment."

You can find out more here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-animal-welfare-sentencing-and-recognition-of-sentience-bill-2017

Timeline

14 Jul 2018 Petition opened for signatures
17 Jul 2018 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21
Status Rejected
Rejected 17 Jul 2018

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.