To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered the potential merits of including cephalopods in the core protections of the Animal Welfare Act 2026.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered the potential merits of including cephalopods in the core protections of the Animal Welfare Act 2026.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animal Welfare Strategy published on 22 December 2025, what progress has been made in producing guidance on killing methods for (a) decapods and (b) cephalopods.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animal Welfare Strategy published on 22 December 2025, what progress has been made in producing guidance on killing methods for (a) decapods and (b) cephalopods.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, what is the timeline for the publication of the evidence base on welfare issues affecting decapod crustaceans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, what is the timeline for the publication of the evidence base on welfare issues affecting decapod crustaceans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, when the guidance on the welfare of decapods at time of killing will be published; and whether killing methods beyond live boiling are to be included in the Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, when the guidance on the welfare of decapods at time of killing will be published; and whether killing methods beyond live boiling are to be included in the Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the definition of animals in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to include (a) decapod crustaceans and (b) cephalopod molluscs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the definition of animals in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to include (a) decapod crustaceans and (b) cephalopod molluscs.

Clauses 6 to 25 agreed to. Written evidence reported to the House.

Clauses 6 to 25 agreed to. Written evidence reported to the House.

Before my noble friend sits down, could she reassure the House that, for instance, Chris Packham and Mark Avery of Wild Justice would not be eligible to be on the committee?

Before my noble friend sits down, could she reassure the House that, for instance, Chris Packham and Mark Avery of Wild Justice would not be eligible to be on the committee?

Moved by

Viscount Ridley

9: Clause 1, leave out Clause 1 and insert the following new Clause—

“Animal Sentience Committee

(1) A Committee within the Cabinet Office, called the Animal Sentience Committee, will be established and maintained.

(2) The function of the Committee will be to determine whether in the process of formulating and implementing...

Moved by

Viscount Ridley

9: Clause 1, leave out Clause 1 and insert the following new Clause—

“Animal Sentience Committee

(1) A Committee within the Cabinet Office, called the Animal Sentience Committee, will be established and maintained.

(2) The function of the Committee will be to determine whether in the process of formulating and implementing...

My Lords, I will speak very briefly to Amendments 9, 11, 33 and 37 in this group, which are in my name. Noble Lords will be glad to know that I have torn up three-quarters of my speech to speed things up. I declare my interest as a fortunate owner...

My Lords, I will speak very briefly to Amendments 9, 11, 33 and 37 in this group, which are in my name. Noble Lords will be glad to know that I have torn up three-quarters of my speech to speed things up. I declare my interest as a fortunate owner...

My Lords, I am obviously a little disappointed that my brilliant suggestion about the Cabinet Office committee has not fallen on more fertile ground. To use an analogy, you would keep a sheep dog in a kennel rather than with the sheep, but I will not pursue that one. I...

My Lords, I am obviously a little disappointed that my brilliant suggestion about the Cabinet Office committee has not fallen on more fertile ground. To use an analogy, you would keep a sheep dog in a kennel rather than with the sheep, but I will not pursue that one. I...

My Lords, I shall just comment very briefly on what my noble friend has just said. I disagreed with him on one point, when he said that there were no leading lights in the science of sentience. I draw his attention to a wonderful book published by Oxford University Press...

My Lords, I shall just comment very briefly on what my noble friend has just said. I disagreed with him on one point, when he said that there were no leading lights in the science of sentience. I draw his attention to a wonderful book published by Oxford University Press...

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment 28 standing in my name. This is a similar amendment to the one I moved in Committee and it asks that any recommendation from the animal sentience committee is not detrimental to nature conservation, biosecurity, crop protection and human health.

As my noble friend...

My Lords, I beg to move Amendment 28 standing in my name. This is a similar amendment to the one I moved in Committee and it asks that any recommendation from the animal sentience committee is not detrimental to nature conservation, biosecurity, crop protection and human health.

As my noble friend...

Moved by

Baroness Mallalieu

7: Clause 1, page 1, line 7, at end insert—

“(4) No person may be appointed a member of the Committee unless they have confirmed that they—

(a) are not affiliated to an organisation promoting animal rights;

(b) are not a member of an organisation promoting animal rights;

(c) are not currently...

Moved by

Baroness Mallalieu

7: Clause 1, page 1, line 7, at end insert—

“(4) No person may be appointed a member of the Committee unless they have confirmed that they—

(a) are not affiliated to an organisation promoting animal rights;

(b) are not a member of an organisation promoting animal rights;

(c) are not currently...

I am the lucky recipient of yet another of the amendments tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Mancroft. He did not indicate to me why he had decoupled it from the previous group. I think the Minister has, in effect, already replied by saying that he is not prepared to...

I am the lucky recipient of yet another of the amendments tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Mancroft. He did not indicate to me why he had decoupled it from the previous group. I think the Minister has, in effect, already replied by saying that he is not prepared to...

Very briefly, I think the concerns on this amendment were answered in the response to the previous group. As it is not necessary to have in the Bill who should be on the committee, it is not necessary to have in it who should not be on the committee.

Very briefly, I think the concerns on this amendment were answered in the response to the previous group. As it is not necessary to have in the Bill who should be on the committee, it is not necessary to have in it who should not be on the committee.

I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Mallalieu, for moving the amendment on behalf of my noble friend Lord Mancroft. We have already debated this, but I understand my noble friend’s concerns regarding conflicts of interest and what they may mean for the committee.

We want the committee to succeed, and I...

I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Mallalieu, for moving the amendment on behalf of my noble friend Lord Mancroft. We have already debated this, but I understand my noble friend’s concerns regarding conflicts of interest and what they may mean for the committee.

We want the committee to succeed, and I...

I am afraid I am not able to give that reassurance. All I can say is that they might not be considered to be experts.

I am afraid I am not able to give that reassurance. All I can say is that they might not be considered to be experts.

I thank the Minister for her reply. I just hope that the reassurance she has given us will be followed by future Secretaries of State. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

I thank the Minister for her reply. I just hope that the reassurance she has given us will be followed by future Secretaries of State. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

My Lords, there is a large number of amendments in this group, so in the interests of time and the number of groups yet to be debated I shall focus on Amendment 38 in my name, which would insert a new clause after Clause 3 requiring the ASC to submit...

My Lords, there is a large number of amendments in this group, so in the interests of time and the number of groups yet to be debated I shall focus on Amendment 38 in my name, which would insert a new clause after Clause 3 requiring the ASC to submit...

I thank your Lordships for amendments, and I hope that I can provide some reassurance on the points made.

I start with Amendment 9, in the name of my noble friend Lord Ridley, which would establish the animal sentience committee as a committee within the Cabinet Office. I would argue that...

I thank your Lordships for amendments, and I hope that I can provide some reassurance on the points made.

I start with Amendment 9, in the name of my noble friend Lord Ridley, which would establish the animal sentience committee as a committee within the Cabinet Office. I would argue that...