![]() But think about insect farming, which currently falls outside the scope of animal welfare laws. Laws are limited by what is enforceable and reasonable. If the evidence does point towards sentience being widespread among invertebrates, what then? Would we end up with absurd laws banning us from stepping on insects? No. I think that situation will change: one goal of my Foundations of Animal Sentience project is to address this. The science at present is too uncertain to allow us to be confident one way or the other. I can see the rationale for such an approach in an area where the science is moving quickly.įor instance, on the question of insect sentience, scientists are divided, partly because there has been no serious attempt to look for sentience in insects. The bill includes vertebrates by default, but explicitly allows invertebrates to be added through statutory instruments. So the animal welfare (sentience) bill, introduced to parliament on Thursday, is a welcome development, as is the creation of an animal sentience committee. New laws to impose some consistency in this area have been needed for a while. Could insects be robot-like evolved machines with absolutely no experience or feeling? Or are we underestimating what a small brain can do? It is also much smaller (a bee has about 1m neurons, compared with our 100bn). For the body of the animal welfare legislation to be consistent with this up-to-date and scientifically authoritative definition of ‘sentience’, this paper further identifies amendments to be incorporated in the body of animal welfare legislation which provide further clarity and certainty to elevate standards of animal welfare and duplicate existing leadership practices that ‘go beyond simply not being cruel to them’.But then we think: wait, can we really talk like this? An insect’s brain is organised completely differently from a mammal’s. ![]() To avoid implementing legislation that is outdated before it is even enacted, this paper demonstrates how a legislative definition of sentience which states: ‘sentience means that animals experience negative and positive states’, is consistent with the contemporary science of the Five Domains and delivers benefits to all animal welfare stakeholders. Victoria’s industry, public, and animals are at a critical legislative crossroads, and Victoria’s 2020 legal reform will either deliver meaningful change leadership or result in decades more of ‘business as usual’. Legislatively defining animal sentience in a manner that creates positive animal welfare law is a keystone reform that has already been implemented in Australia. The Five Domains is also the scientific authority for evolving animal legislation beyond what the Five Freedoms did over half a century ago. The contemporary science of the Five Domains validates that animals are capable of feeling and experiencing positive and negative states. Law’s vital role highlights the necessity of keeping it up to date. While nonregulatory initiatives and programs are valuable as ancillary means of securing those benefits, law enforcement has a vital role in ensuring compliance by all stakeholders, and maintenance of standards that protect existing and future interests. Updated animal law is ‘right’ for many economic, environmental, and societal reasons.
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