New definition of animal sentience published in Scotland

Animal sentience has become an important concept in animal welfare – as modern views on animal welfare become focused on what the animal feels or experiences, then determining which animals can feel or experience, and how this might be defined, has become relevant. In EU legislation following the Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force in 2009, there is formal recognition that animals are sentient beings (1). This is then associated with a requirement to ‘pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals’. Since then this concept has become an important part of the animal welfare legislation of many countries outside of the EU.

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), set up in 2020, is chaired by JMICAWE director, Prof Cathy Dwyer. As part of the remit of SAWC, consideration of animal sentience and the impact of any changes in legislation on welfare will be reported to the Scottish Government annually. One of the first jobs undertaken by SAWC was to provide a definition of animal sentience to guide the work of the Commission, and this has just been published (2). SAWC defines animal sentience as:

‘the ability to have physical and emotional experiences, which matter to the animal, and which can be positive and negative’

SAWC also reflects on which species are considered to be sentient and for whom consideration of animal welfare is important. This includes all vertebrates (mammals, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles), cephalopods (such as octopus) and the decapod crustaceans (such as crab and lobster). Important parts of this definition are that it recognises the capacity of animals to have both positive and negative emotions, whereas previous definitions have focused only on negative emotions (such as pain or fear). In addition, including some invertebrates in the list of animals considered to be sentient recognises that welfare is relevant to a wider group of animals than previously considered, and recognises the accumulation of scientific evidence that supports sentience in these species.

1 - https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/welfare_en 

2 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-animal-welfare-commission-statement-on-animal-sentience/