Earlier this month, it emerged that newly-appointed UK Prime Minister Liz Truss had sacked Zac Goldsmith as environment minister.
In a letter sent to staff at The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), seen by the Guardian, Goldsmith said he was “very sad” to be leaving his position.
While there is still much progress to be made in terms of animal welfare in the UK, Goldsmith has been responsible for a number of developments in the area.
He played a key part in establishing last year’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare. This contained proposals to bring in legislation to better the lives of animals in the UK and abroad.
One of these was the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. The Bill, which was enacted into law in April, recognized lobsters, crabs, and other crustaceans as sentient beings capable of feeling emotions like pain.
The significance of the animal welfare plan is debatable. Much of it is vague, has yet to be enacted, and is arguably insubstantial (sentient lobsters can still be boiled alive, for example). There is no doubt, however, that…
