Our summary response to the Wilberforce Report

Animal welfare in 2050

In recent decades, our understanding of animal welfare has changed. Our approach was based on avoiding suffering, with a focus on health, but is now one that recognises animals’ capacity for happiness, with a focus on their welfare. We’re working towards a world where animals don’t just survive – they thrive.

We commissioned Firetail, a strategic foresight consultancy, to analyse scientific evidence and emerging trends across the animal welfare sector. It also interviewed stakeholders on the key factors affecting the welfare of animals by 2050. From this, Firetail produced the Wilberforce Report. The report warns of the potential consequences which lie ahead for all of us, including the RSPCA, if we don't create radical change and deliver significant improvements in animal welfare.

Firetail’s insights were collated into five different future scenarios.

1 Tech-centric shows how technology is used to solve issues like food security but intensifies farming practices, which further commodifies animals.

2 Eco carnage outlines how failing to tackle global issues leads to ecosystem collapse and mass species extinctions, reducing animals to a means of survival and food security.

3 Blinkered world reveals that, despite widespread support for animal welfare, ongoing exploitation of animals continues through trade deals with countries who have low welfare standards.

4 One planet shows a more positive scenario where global issues like climate change are addressed inclusively, such as a reduction in the consumption of animal products.

5 Animals speak up explores a wildcard scenario, where technology allows animals to speak and communicate their feelings with us, leading to movements of change.

Our vision

We want to be positive and ambitious about the future of people, animals and our planet. Our 2050 vision offers an alternative to the Wilberforce Report scenarios, where animal welfare is a top political and policy priority. We want to see a new ‘social contract’ developed between people and animals, redefining our relationship with them. Also in our vision, animals are no longer seen as commodities and the importance of protecting and promoting animal welfare, particularly its links to human welfare, is recognised. To deliver this vision and avoid the negative scenarios described in the report, we and others need to act now. We have a number of policy priorities that we want to see the UK Government and international partners act upon.

We want to see the new UK Government create a new ‘mission’ for national renewal that is focused on redefining the relationship between people and animals.

We want the food and farming system to be reimagined, so that it takes an ‘animal-first’ and ‘nature-first’ approach, ensuring animals are farmed only to the highest welfare standards. In the short term, this includes a ban on cages in farming, investment in alternative proteins and a citizens’ assembly on the future of food and farming.

Governments across the UK should foster a new age of responsible pet ownership, where all companion animals have a good life and can thrive. This requires new legislation to be passed to ban the extreme breeding of companion animals, create a positive list to restrict the types of exotic animals which can be kept as pets, and create a pet registration scheme.

The UK Government should ensure that existing and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are used only to improve the welfare of animals, not to further commodify or exploit animals. This can be achieved by creating a code of practice to govern its use, and significantly investing in non-animal technologies to end animal use in science.

We want the human/animal connection to be strengthened through animal welfare education becoming part of school curricula at all stages of education.

Internationally, we want to work in partnership with institutions including United Nations (UN) bodies and European institutions, to achieve transformative policy change for animals. This includes reforming the Sustainable Development Goals to include animal welfare and create a new UN Convention for Animal Welfare.

WE WANT A NEW ‘SOCIAL CONTRACT’ BETWEEN PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

Creating change

We can’t create the change needed to deliver a positive future for all animals, including humans, alone. NGOs, governments, businesses, and individuals are all responsible for animal welfare. It will take the ideas, efforts, and energy of all of us to create the transformative change needed for a positive world for animals by 2050. To kickstart this change, the RSPCA will be running the Animal Futures project over the next year, consulting and involving the public in conversations about how we can create a better world for all.