The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is warning that the nation’s animal welfare standards could plunge, as 44 animal welfare laws carried over from the EU could potentially be scrapped by a new bill.
Around 80% of all major animal welfare laws in the UK were agreed when the UK was a member of the EU.
Existing laws including the battery hen ban, the ban on cosmetics testing on animals and the banning of growth promoters in farm animals are just some of animal welfare-related pieces of legislation brought over from the EU which are now in danger of being scrapped according to the RSPCA.
The REUL Bill which was passed at its second stage in the House of Commons, sets out a filtering process to ascertain if a retained EU law should be continued.
Altogether, a total of 2,417 laws need to be assessed by the end of 2023.
The concern is that many of them – including the 44 animal welfare laws – could automatically be lost as time runs out, as laws will be revoked by default at that stage unless ministers actively move to save them.
RSPCA head of public affairs David Bowles said:
“If the REUL Bill passes, the clock will start ticking on animal welfare standards in the UK.
“Hard-won laws that we take for granted now, such as the bans on battery hens, cosmetics testing on animals and growth promoters given to farm animals are now at risk and could be lost.
“If inertia or a lack of commitment from the new administration results in the time running out before the filtering process of those 44 key pieces of animal welfare legislation can take place, those laws will automatically vanish into thin air.
“That would be a tragedy. Not only would it be a huge backward step for animals but the UK government would have reneged on its commitment to maintain high standards of animal welfare post-Brexit, because around 80% of all major animal welfare laws in the UK are those carried over from the EU.
“We must not allow animal welfare standards to drop as a result of the UK government’s determination to create a bonfire of EU laws.”
