Laws mean nothing if no one enforces them.
The Government promised “effective enforcement” of animal welfare laws. On farms across England, animals are still suffering unseen. Email your MP and hold them to their word.
Enforce animal welfare laws
On dairy farms across the country, mother cows are made pregnant again and again, have their calves taken within hours of birth, and are worn down until their bodies give out. Just under a third of cows used for dairy may be lame at any one time, unable to stand or walk.
And it isn’t only cows who suffer terribly. Pigs, chickens, fish and countless other animals live their lives on farms where almost no one from outside ever looks in.
There are some laws in place that are allegedly meant to protect them from unnecessary suffering. But laws only work if someone enforces them.
The Government has promised “effective enforcement” and “meaningful accountability” in its Animal Welfare Strategy. Yet, while hairdressers, taxi firms, and even buskers need licenses to operate, farms don’t! On top of this, welfare inspections are rare, and when our investigators have checked, they’ve discovered severe suffering and illegality again and again.
They’ve uncovered piglets being ‘thumped’ against concrete walls, cows being hoisted off the ground by their hips, and lame chickens unable to reach the water or feeders.
The Government made the promise to better help those animals trapped in the factory farming system. Now it must deliver.
Take Action: Email Your MP
Your MP has the power to raise this directly in Parliament and put pressure on the Government department responsible for animal welfare: the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Emails from constituents carry real political weight. MPs pay attention when people in their constituency speak up.
To send your email, use this Parliament tool to find your MP. After you search your postcode, you’ll find your MP’s constituency email address. Then:
- Add your address below. It will pre-fill in your email, so your MP knows you’re writing as their constituent.
- Review and personalise the pre-written message if you wish. Personal touches make all the difference. Please remember to keep it polite!
- Hit “Send email” to open your ready-made draft. Don’t forget to add your MP’s email address. When you hit send, your email will go straight to their inbox.
This action is for people living in England, where the Animal Welfare Strategy applies. If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you can still sign our petition to stop illegal animal abuse on UK farms.
Please check that all required fields are filled out and try again.
What Happens When No One Is Watching
The Government has promised to strengthen how animal welfare laws are enforced, saying it’s “committed to strengthening enforcement mechanisms to ensure meaningful accountability.” But on farms across England, the reality is very different.
Farms don’t need a licence to keep animals, and there’s no set number of farms that must be inspected for welfare. Millions of animals can live their whole lives without anyone from outside ever checking on them.
When our investigators have gone inside, they’ve found the cost. On every one of four dairy farms we visited over six years, we found severe suffering and breaches of the law, including workers punching cows in the face and kicking them in the stomach. In one of the most harrowing scenes we’ve ever captured, a mother cow lay dying in agony after the calf she was carrying had died inside her. Nobody came to help her.
That’s what happens when laws aren’t enforced.
The Government has promised to start publishing data on enforcement on farms in 2027. That’s a welcome first step, but it has to be real and complete: how many farms were inspected, which animals were there, what was found, and what action was taken. And animals suffering today need more than reports. They need regular and unannounced inspections, proper investigation of cruelty complaints, and real consequences for those who break the law.
We’re fighting for a world where animals aren’t used for food at all. But today, they shouldn’t have to wait for the basic protections the law already promises them.
Animals need change now. Add your voice!
Right now, a pig is lying in agony on a hard floor in a shed where no inspector may ever set foot. No law can give her the life she deserves, but the protections that do exist are the very least she’s owed. Add your name to demand the Government stops ignoring them.
Add your name for animals ↓
Thank you for signing the petition. Small actions like this add up and change the world!
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Leave cruelty off your plate!
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