Policy Briefing: How Animal Welfare is Being Integrated into Government Policy
Nicky Amos and Rory Sullivan
Two recent developments in UK regulation are moving animal welfare from the periphery to the heart of policy decision-making.
The way governments think about animals is changing. Quietly but significantly, two developments in the UK are reshaping how animal welfare will be considered in policymaking and business decisions. First, the UK Treasury’s Green Book, which guides civil servants’ evaluations of public policy, now explicitly requires that animal welfare impacts be considered as an integral part of policy decisions. Second, the scope of animal welfare is broadening. Crustaceans – such as crabs, lobsters, and prawns – have been legally recognised as sentient since the passing of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, and in 2025, government policy guidance began to interpret this recognition in ways that could influence how these animals are treated in practice.
Together, these developments signal a deeper shift. Animal welfare is no longer a peripheral ethical concern but is increasingly embedded in governance and economic decision-making.
The Green Book: A Structural Policy Shift
A major structural change has occurred within UK government decision-making. The Green Book, the central guidance used to evaluate public policies, spending, and regulatory interventions, now explicitly includes animal welfare in policy appraisal. This ensures that potential impacts on sentient animals are considered alongside economic, environmental and social factors.
“The Animal Sentience Committee recognises this recognition in the Green Book is significant in acknowledging more widely the role of the Committee and the Government’s responsibilities under the Animal Sentience Act to consider the welfare implication of policy and delivery for all sentient beings. As a committee we are also grateful for the support shown by stakeholders in this and all the work the committee has undertaken since its inception.” Michael Seals, Chair, Animal Sentience Committee
Policymakers are encouraged to explicitly ask and seek to answer questions such as:
Could a proposed policy negatively affect the welfare of animals?
Could alternative approaches reduce harm to animals?
Could alternative approaches improve animal welfare outcomes?
Considering the answers to these questions ensures that animal welfare is recognised as a legitimate component of responsible governance.
The Broadening Scope of Animal Welfare
The acknowledgement of animal sentience under UK law – already recognised in EU law since 1997, strengthened in 2009 and now carried into domestic law post-Brexit – signals that welfare considerations should inform assessments of activities affecting animals.
The legal recognition of the sentience of decapod crustaceans – such as crabs and lobsters - in 2022 highlights the expanding scope of UK policy. While welfare legislation has historically focused on vertebrates (such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish), scientific evidence now demonstrates that certain invertebrates, particularly decapods, are capable of experiencing pain and distress.
By extending the principle that an animal’s capacity to suffer should inform its treatment, UK law establishes a foundation for considering welfare across a wider range of species.
Decapod crustaceans are invertebrates with ten limbs, including crabs, lobsters, prawns, shrimps, langoustines and crayfish. They play a vital ecological role, recycling nutrients, supporting food webs, protecting coral reefs, and helping regulate the climate through ocean nutrient cycling, which affects oxygen production and biodiversity. Healthy crustacean populations are essential for resilient marine ecosystems and the fisheries and communities that rely on them. Their sentience underpins emerging protection in animal welfare policy.
Policy Developments and Guidance
The recognition of crustacean sentience and the updated Green Book guidance signal more than incremental change. They represent a meaningful step toward integrating animal welfare into mainstream sustainability and economic policy in the UK.
The requirement to consider animal welfare in policy appraisal means sustainability strategies and economic decision-making must now be cognisant of welfare impacts. That is, animal welfare is moving beyond a narrow regulatory concern and becoming a factor within broader environmental, food system, and economic planning.
The inclusion of decapod crustaceans further expands the range of animals whose welfare may be considered, widening the policy conversation to species historically receiving little direct protection. Just as terrestrial farm welfare evolved gradually – from minimal regulation to detailed codes – similar developments may emerge for aquatic species.
The difference today is that the institutional foundations are already in place: once sentience is formally recognised and embedded in policy appraisal frameworks, welfare considerations are harder to overlook.
Implications for Industry
For food producers, retailers and hospitality companies, these developments are strategic indicators of evolving expectations around animal welfare.
Our research suggests that many food companies already have animal welfare policies and management processes in place. However, while 94% of the 150 major global food companies evaluated in the 2024 Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare acknowledge animal welfare as a business issue, only 45% of companies explicitly recognise animals as sentient.
This finding illustrates a persistent disconnect between science, policy and corporate practice among large, global food companies managing multiple species. Meanwhile, Crustacean Compassion’s Snapshot, the first corporate benchmark dedicated to crustacean welfare, concluded that corporate recognition of decapod welfare has grown rapidly, from 70% of companies in 2022 to 93% in 2025.
Recognising animals as sentient beings fundamentally changes how companies approach production, sourcing and accountability – and reframes sustainability to include ethical and welfare dimensions.
While immediate regulatory changes remain limited, the UK government has indicated that forthcoming guidance will clarify humane slaughter methods for decapod crustaceans. Practices such as boiling alive are considered unacceptable under this guidance, underscoring the importance of ethical handling and killing methods. This emerging guidance reinforces standards many companies have already adopted and signals growing attention to animal welfare that is likely to shape supplier expectations both within the UK and across international supply chains.
Food companies are now encouraged to:
Recognise that animal welfare expectations are evolving and increasingly integrated into sustainability and economic policy frameworks.
Understand how emerging developments – sentience recognition and policy appraisal changes – affect regulatory and reputational risk.
Integrate animal welfare and sustainability strategies explicitly in policies, governance and risk management processes, and in defining desired outcomes.
A Turning Point
The explicit inclusion of animals in the Green Book, combined with the recognition of sentience across species, marks a meaningful shift. Animal welfare is moving beyond a narrow regulatory concern to a factor embedded in policy, sustainability and economic planning.
For legislators, regulators, and food companies, the implication is clear: animal welfare is no longer peripheral. Those who recognise this shift and act strategically will be better positioned to navigate evolving policy and industry expectations, while contributing to responsible, sustainable, and forward-looking food systems practice.
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For more on our animal welfare work visit here, or contact: nathan@chronossustainability.com
Notes:
Chronos Sustainability has long worked to help companies understand and manage animal welfare risks in their supply chains.
Since 2012, it has played an instrumental role in the development of the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) in partnership with Compassion in World Farming. The BBFAW evaluates around 150 major food businesses globally, including retailers, restaurants and producers on their management of farm animal welfare risks and opportunities.
Since 2021, in partnership with Crustacean Compassion, Chronos developed The Snapshot, the first corporate benchmark focused specifically on crustacean welfare. The Snapshot evaluates seafood companies on how they identify, manage and disclose welfare risks affecting crustaceans across their operations and supply chains.
