Following the success of our popular “Purr Minister competition” to find Parliament’s top cat, Battersea took our four key priorities for animal welfare, and three of our beloved canine residents, to the heart of Westminster at a reception kindly sponsored by our local MP, Marsha de Cordova.

Following the successful second reading of the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill in Parliament on November 29, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) emphasises the critical need to address puppy smuggling—a growing issue that poses significant risks to animal welfare, public health, and responsible pet ownership.

Battersea’s search begins for Parliament’s top cat.

At this year’s Labour Party Conference, Battersea was delighted to co-host a fringe event with long-standing partner Mars Petcare on growing access to pet ownership for the 35 per cent of British households who rent their home.

Animal protection NGO, Cruelty Free International, shares its initial recommendations for government plans to phase out animal testing in the UK, with its ‘Creating a cruelty-free future’ report.

Animal protection NGO, Cruelty Free International, is disappointed at the government’s failure to include its manifesto pledge to plan the phase-out of animal testing in the King’s Speech.

A new government is in place and with it a chance to deliver significant improvements in animal welfare. Here’s what we want to see prioritised.

NGO calls for all parties to commit to end of animal testing

NGO also calls for animal testing for cosmetics to be made illegal

Animal protection NGO Cruelty Free International is again calling on the government to ensure proper enforcement of the law protecting animals used in experiments in the UK. The latest UK Home Office report shows that non-compliance with the law continues. Abandonment of the previous inspection programme, and roll out of a new audit approach in 2021, has not stopped failings in the care of animals in laboratories.

People are being urged to “ask questions” about where their puppies are coming from, as a new committee report highlights the increasing prevalence of unregulated canine fertility clinics and the widespread illegal trade and importation of pets.

The Renters Reform Bill aims to balance the relationship between tenants and landlords, including granting tenants the right to keep pets. Any U-turn on the hard-won progress could lead to more pets being relinquished, and time is running out

A group of cross-party MPs have called on the government to ban the use of forced swim tests on animals, with animal rights group PETA calling the practice “outrageously crude and cruel”.

Ahead of the next General Election, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has launched a manifesto for animals, vets and public health. BVA is calling on all political parties to prioritise the following key issues within their election manifestos:

I was shocked, actually, in disbelief, when I learnt that we still test on animals in the United Kingdom.

The Government has already committed to a ban on the barbaric use of shock collars in England – so why are the country's pets still waiting for action?

What do we mean by animal welfare? And what does the British public want for farmed animals?

Following a recent parliamentary drop-in event, NOAH set out how we can deliver a thriving Animal Health Sector through the GB Veterinary Medicines Regulations Review.

Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns has said “people power” is needed to bring back government animal welfare reforms, as Conservative MPs “don’t want to cause too much of a ruckus”.

Imagine this terrifying scenario: Without warning, you are tossed into a deep tank of water. Frantically paddling and clawing at the sides, you look for any possible escape route. But it’s a futile effort.

Yesterday, the government abandoned the planned introduction of crucial measures aimed at protecting dogs and puppies from being needlessly, cruelly and illegally smuggled into the United Kingdom

This is a subject of considerable public interest involving considerations of both human safety and of animal welfare.

On the second anniversary of the Government’s flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare, 25 leading animal protection organisations urge Rishi Sunak: stop letting animals, and voters, down.

Animal protection NGO Cruelty Free International is calling on the government to reinstate the 1998 ban on animal testing for cosmetics, which a High Court judge has now ruled it is able to do. Documents disclosed in the court proceedings revealed for the first time that the Home Office secretly abandoned the ban in 2019.