Animal Sentience Bill 2024

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The measure would create an Animal Sentience Committee made up of qualified experts, including animal welfare and environmental representatives, to examine whether government policies could harm the welfare of animals that can feel pain and distress. It would also require the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to respond in the Dáil within three months of any committee report, explaining what action the Government will take. That matters because it would put animal welfare into policy-making more directly, rather than treating it only as a farming or enforcement issue.

Formal long title

An Act to amend the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 to make provision for an Animal Sentience Committee with functions relating to the effect of government policy on the welfare of animals as sentient beings.

Last updated 2 May 2025