Animal welfare legislation and ethical considerations

Animal Welfare Legislation

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 is the principal animal welfare legislation in England and Wales. It makes owners and keepers responsible for ensuring that the welfare needs of their animals are met.
Five key welfare needs are outlined in the Act: the need for a suitable environment, a suitable diet, to exhibit normal behaviour patterns, to be housed with or apart from other animals, and to be protected from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides protection for wildlife, and prohibits certain methods of killing or taking wildlife.
The Animals Act 1971 covers liability for damage done by animals, and the right of a person who has been harmed to recover damages.
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 covers the licensing of activities involving animals including selling pets, providing for or arranging for the provision of boarding, hiring out horses, dog breeding, and keeping or training animals for exhibition.
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 asserts that only registered members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons may practice veterinary surgery.

An ethical obligation exists to ensure that our interactions with animals are guided by a recognition of their sentience - their ability to feel pain and experience emotions.
Animal caregivers should strive to improve the lives of animals in their care by creating an environment suited to their specific needs and nature.
Where possible, it is ethically preferable to use non-invasive and less painful alternatives to procedures which may cause pain or suffering to animals.
Animals should not be used for human gain where it causes them unnecessary suffering - this includes both research testing and entertainment.
Euthanasia is a necessary part of animal care; it must be carried out in a manner that causes the least suffering and is undertaken only when necessary for the welfare of the individual animal.
An ethical approach to animal care respects and strives to improve the biological functioning, natural living, and wellbeing of all animals.