Closed petition Make live feeding of all animals a specific criminal offence

Closed on 27 July 2021

Despite considering itself a 'nation of animal lovers', using live animals as food for others isn't a specific offence in the UK. While live feeding a vertebrate animal to another is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act, a specific offence should be made to apply to all animals.

Livefeeding can causes extensive suffering to those animals which are used as 'live food'; it is extremely cruel and unnecessary to the animals commonly used as livefeed, which include mice, rats, multimammates; insects such as locusts and crickets; and fish, for instance guppies, minnows and goldfish. Unwanted and/or juveniles of other species are also sometimes used.
Moreover, it can be a risk to the animals being fed livefood as they may be injured by frightened prey or pick up parasites.