VOICES: Recent political moves towards recognising the sentience of nonhuman animals may seem like positive developments, but as recent law graduate and animal rights advocate Imogen Meston writes, may simply be part of a grand illusion waiting to be shattered. This guest article forms part of our series marking the release of our video ‘How animal agriculture runs New Zealand’.

OPINION: New traffic measures are great news for cyclists and other humans, but as dog caregiver Claire Hamlett explains, are also a welcomed development for dogs and other animals whose lives can be so terribly affected by cars and roads.

Will Boris’s betrayals never end? Sadly not as today’s Queen’s Speech, delivered by Prince Charles, left out many measures designed to better protect animals such as a ban on foie gras and fur imports. Claire Hamlett reports.

NEWS: The use of glue traps to catch mice, rats and other rodents by anyone without a pest control licence is set to be banned in England, with breaches of the new law carrying a fine or up to a year in prison.

DEEP DIVE: Britain’s exit from the European Union presented both threats and promises to animal justice in the UK. But since coming into effect in 2020, what - if anything - has actually changed? Devon Docherty writes.

The results of two government-commissioned studies into the number of dead badgers infected with bovine TB (bTB) have finally been released, confirming that badgers are being scapegoated for the spread of the disease.

The regret the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has expressed at the resignation of former Conservative MP Owen Paterson may go against public opinion but is no surprise at all, writes Claire Hamlett.

Animal guardians in the UK have welcomed a new law that classes pet theft as a specific criminal offence, recognising the welfare of the animal as well as the emotional distress caused to their human family. But is it enough?

News emerged this week of a desperate plan being concocted by the UK meat industry to address its labour crisis by employing prisoners via work release schemes. They say it’s the result of the combined effect of Brexit and Covid, but all it confirms is that only people with no other options would choose to butcher animals.

News recently broke of draft legislation that would ban the keeping of elephants in UK zoos. Unfortunately, following clarification from environment minister Zac Goldsmith, Defra has no such plans, yet ‘inside sources’ have hinted at growing concern within the government about zoos with a report on elephant welfare imminent.

The UK’s top 10 supermarkets are actively encouraging customers to buy meat products despite recent improvements in the companies’ environmental policies, a new supermarket scorecard by campaign group Feedback reveals.

The European Parliament has voted to ban cages for farmed animals, including egg-laying hens, ducks, and rabbits, following huge public support for the proposed ECI ‘End the Cage Age’ legislation. It’s great news at first glance, but as with anything political, there are conditions.