Government advisor slams inaction over animal welfare
Henry Dimbleby is a non-execuitve board member at Defra.
Amid mounting concerns that the UK government is deprioritising animal welfare legislation, a UK government advisor is set to warn Prime Minister Liz Truss not to “sacrifice animal welfare on a bonfire of red tape”.
Henry Dimbleby, who is a non-executive board member at Defra, will deliver the warning tonight (19 October) at the RSPCA’s inaugural Wilberforce Lecture in London.
During his speech, Mr Dimbleby will express concern about the Kept Animals Bill, initially proposed by the previous leadership to ban the live transit of animals and the import of dogs with cropped ears. The bill also addresses the keeping of primates as pets.
He will add: “This law has been in the making for literally decades. The cruel and unnecessary practice of live animal transport was rightly a manifesto commitment for this government, and it is one they must not renege on. We have a global reputation on animal welfare that has been hard-earned, it would be madness to trash it.”
Mr Dimbleby - who is also the author of the government's independent national food strategy - will stress that as our "understanding of animal sentience grows, it will become harder and harder to justify the relationship we have built with the animal kingdom” - further highlighting the need for government action.”
Echoing Mr Dimbleby's words, RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood warned that animal welfare could be forgotten by the new government.
“We’re deeply concerned that the UK is on the verge of a great animal abandonment scandal," he said. “With plans to ban the import of foie gras and fur already on the scrapheap, we’re growing increasingly concerned about the future of the Government’s Kept Animals Bill.
“The Bill promised to do so much for animals - but recently, we've seen continued inaction and there's a real concern that the government is now failing to prioritise animals at all. “The consequences of this could be massive - and we share Henry Dimbleby’s concerns that, in her ideological pursuits, animal welfare could be forgotten by this new leadership.”
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
