Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 17 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 November 2005. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Monday, 5 December 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Animal Welfare Bill

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will redefine (a) decapod crustaceans and (b) cephalopods as animals to be included in the provisions of the Animal Welfare Bill.

Answer: The definition of an animal for the purposes of the Animal Welfare Bill is limited to non-human vertebrates. This restriction to vertebrates is made on the basis that there is currently insufficient evidence to show conclusively that other types of animals, such as ““lobsters/crabs/squids””, have the capacity for conscious awareness; a prerequisite for experiencing pain and suffering. However, there are powers within the Bill to extend the definition if future scientific evidence demonstrated that such animals can in fact experience pain and suffering.

Secondary information