On average, less than 3% of the UK’s estimated 291,000 farms were inspected annually by official Government bodies between 2018 to 2021, according to a recent report.
The research conducted by animal advocacy charities, Animal Equality and The Animal Law Foundation comes following the the current ‘risk-based’ inspection regime where farmers at a ‘higher risk’ are prioritised for inspection.
Likely as a result of a lack of inspectors, the report found that there is just one in place for every 205 farms.
Data obtained by regulatory bodies including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the Welsh and Scottish Governments, local authorities, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland found that over a four-year period when complaints of animal welfare or health were received, only 50.45% were inspected.
Of those inspected, illegalities were identified in one third of cases while just one in 300 farms were prosecuted for animal abuse.
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“Non-compliance is endemic, evidenced time and again through undercover investigations and now further bolstered by the data revealed in this report,” Animal Equity UK executive director, Abigail Penny said.
“Pigs are having their tails cut off, cows are unable to walk or stand, and hens are crammed into overcrowded cages, yet farms are typically receiving little more than a slap on the wrist. These findings are disturbing and should be alarming to any consumer. Animal abusers need to truly be held accountable. Right now, this is evidently not the case.”
The Animal Law Foundation solicitor and executive director, Edie Bowles added: “The Enforcement Problem has been known by those that work in the animal field for a long time.
“The problem exists across all areas of animal law, but what makes it particularly jarring for farmed animals is not only the extent of the problem, but the constant proclamations that the UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards on farms and slaughterhouses in the world.“
“If these standards only exist on paper and not upheld in practice, the value of those laws is rendered questionable at best and redundant at worst.”
