AUGUST NEWSLETTER

PROGRAMMES

Under the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 and equivalent legislation in Wales and Northern Ireland, decapod crustaceans are protected from avoidable pain at the time of killing. Their ability to experience pain was recognised under the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 – and since boiling alive is a wholly avoidable method of killing, it is incompatible with the current law.

In December 2025, the English government agreed with us and confirmed that boiling decapod crustaceans alive is incompatible with current UK law.

UPDATE

Since the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (Wales) Regulations 2014 mirror the English regulations, we sent a legal letter to the Welsh Government seeking the same clarification for Wales. The Welsh Government has responded to our letter and confirmed it stands with DEFRA: boiling decapod crustaceans alive is unacceptable under current Welsh law. Wales will now work alongside DEFRA to develop welfare at the time of killing guidance. This is a huge victory for animal welfare in Wales.

The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2014 mirror the English and Welsh regulations too, meaning the same legal argument applies there. Last week we wrote to the Northern Ireland Executive calling on it to acknowledge that the practice of boiling lobsters and crabs alive is unacceptable under existing Northern Irish law and provide guidance for industry and regulators.

Good news! Our work is making headlines!

Wales247 Campaign launched to clarify Welsh law on boiling lobsters alive

The Pembrokeshire Herald Live-boiling lobster row puts Welsh shellfish welfare back in spotlight

UK Human Rights Blog Decapod Crustaceans under the Law

The Fishing Daily Northern Ireland Urged to Clarify Ban on Boiling Lobsters Alive

The Irish News Call for law on boiling lobsters alive in Northern Ireland to be clarified amid warning ‘inhumane’ practice already illegal

Irish Legal News Northern Ireland: Animal charity seeks confirmation live boiling of lobsters breaches law

The Pembrokeshire Herald Welsh Government backs lobster review but stops short of live-boiling ban

Nation Cymru Welsh Government considers legislation to prevent lobsters being boiled alive

The Fishing Daily Wales to End Boiling Lobsters Alive after NGO Pressure

With 85% of UK animals farmed in industrial settings, the reality of how most animals are raised is far removed from what’s shown in marketing, advertising and in the media – undermining  protections that exist for the consumer and public not to be misled, as exposed in our Food Chain Misinformation report.

UPDATE

Following our formal complaint to the BBC, arguing it aired a misleading statement about pig sentience, the Ecologist published an opinion piece by our Executive Director Edie Bowles, arguing that broadcasters have a duty to portray farmed animals accurately, rather than perpetuating outdated and misleading stereotypes.

Read the opinion piece:

The Ecologist TV must showcase real animal lives

As the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 both mark their 20th anniversary, animals are still being failed by weak interpretation and poor enforcement, with some animals excluded from both Acts’ protections altogether. These weaknesses mean the Acts’ protections apply selectively and arbitrarily.

In February, The Animal Law Foundation wrote to the Welsh, Scottish and UK government alongside The League Against Cruel Sports and 60 other signatories calling for a reset on how the Animal Welfare Act and the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 is interpreted and enforced.

Good news! Our work is making headlines!

The Ferret The Guga Hunt: Why a centuries-old Hebridean tradition is facing renewed scrutiny

EVENTS

Last week, The Animal Law Foundation had the great pleasure of bringing together organisations, lawyers, advocates, campaigners and friends from across the animal protection movement.

The evening was a chance to pause and take stock of how far animal law has come – with words from our speakers Edie Bowles, presenter Wendy Turner and barrister Acland Bryant, reminding everyone what animal law and collective effort can achieve.

Watch the video celebrating the progress made for animals under the law.

Guests listening to the evening’ speeches

Guests mingling on the rooftop terrace

NEWS

High Court grants judicial review of Public Order Act “life sciences infrastructure” regulations

Animal Aid has been granted permission by the High Court to bring a judicial review challenging the Public Order Act 2023 (Interference With Use or Operation of Key National Infrastructure) Regulations 2026, which reclassified “life sciences infrastructure” – including animal testing facilities – as key national infrastructure, restricting protest activity around such sites. Animal Aid is represented by Advocates for Animals’ Alex Shattock and Rossen Roussanov, and the case will now proceed to a full hearing.

Dutch court ends decades-old practice of catching chickens by the leg

The Netherlands’ highest administrative court has ruled that chickens can no longer be caught by one leg and hung upside down – a method long linked to broken bones and bruising. From 2027, catching companies must switch to the “upright” method, developed and championed for over 15 years by animal welfare group Eyes on Animals, following a case brought by Wakker Dier.

DEFRA confirms Land Use Framework doesn’t back factory farming

Following a legal threat from Communities Against Factory Farming (CAFF), DEFRA has confirmed its Land Use Framework isn’t intended to support factory farming or intensive chicken farming, despite language on farm “productivity” and “poultry growth plans” that campaigners feared could be misread as backing intensification.

Welsh Government acknowledges boiling decapod crustaceans alive is unacceptable under current law

The Welsh Government has acknowledged, in a letter to us dated 27 July, that boiling lobsters and crabs alive is unacceptable under existing Welsh law – a response to pressure from The Animal Law Foundation, whose letter was backed by 42 organisations and legal experts. The Welsh Government confirmed it is now working with the other devolved administrations to develop guidance on humane killing methods.

Supreme Court restores acquittals of Animal Rising dairy protesters in landmark public nuisance ruling

The Supreme Court has unanimously restored the acquittals of six Animal Rising protesters who blocked access to a Müller dairy site via a private road, ruling that the public nuisance offence’s “second limb” (obstructing a public right) only protects genuine public rights, not access granted by a private landowner’s permission – so blocking a private road, however disruptive, doesn’t qualify, though prosecutors could still rely on the offence’s separate “serious harm” limb in future cases.

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