Animal Rights MPs reject inclusion of animal sentience in EU Withdrawal Bill

[Second Summer]

MPs have voted to reject the inclusion of animal sentience into the EU (Withdrawal) Bill this week, with one group saying the move undermines Michael Gove's high animal welfare pledge.

Eighty percent of current animal welfare legislation comes from the EU, but after March 2019, European law will no longer apply in the UK.

More: MPs vote to reject inclusion of animal sentience in Withdrawal Bill - Farming UK News (16. November 2017)

Is this the sort of thing we must expect when Brexit is being shaped by the Tories?

The top comment a the moment:
"What sort of a dimwit would you need to be NOT to realise that animals are sentient beings?!?!!! Appalling."

 

[Mark Mywordz]

I divide my time roughly 50:50 between Spain and the UK these days. I have come to admire Spanish legislation in many areas but have also noticed that despite the excellence of their legislation, their laws quite often fail to translate into reality. Animal rights is just such an area. We all know about bull-fighting, which is mercifully on the decline thanks to the economic crisis and the many weaknesses in the Spanish economy. However bullfighting continues and every town and many villages are proud to show the tourists their magnificent bullring. Factory farming too is alive and well in Spain, something I notice when walking through the countryside simply from the stench emitted by the large barns with minute windows and little ventilation where the animals are housed - and it gets hot in Spain! Even in the mountainous areas everywhere your attention is drawn by the barking of dogs left in cages for days on end, cages which are frequently miles away from any human habitation, because the owners of the land choose not to live so far away from their "pueblo" (= village or town). La caza (hunting) is alive and well almost everywhere in Spain and the dogs are kept for the weekend hunt.
As I said, Spanish legislation is excellent but it seldom translates into humane living conditions for animals.
On my walks in the UK I am not offended by this noise and stench, so I can only assume that British farmers have a little more respect for their animals and that this is an aspect of British culture which is more deep-rooted than mere legislation.
I have no interest in defending the Tory party. Nor would I attempt to defend the farming industry in any part of Europe. These are simply my observations based on what I see, hear and smell.
10 Animal Cruelty Traditions in Spain