Rejected petition: Ban the breeding and slaughter of guinea pigs for human consumption in the UK.
Rejected on
We call on the UK Government to make it illegal to breed, keep or slaughter guinea pigs for the purpose of human consumption in the UK.
Guinea pigs are widely recognised in the UK as companion animals. We believe breeding them solely to be eaten is inconsistent with public expectations of animal welfare and raises significant ethical concerns. Current legislation does not explicitly prohibit keeping guinea pigs for meat, and we believe the law should be changed to protect them from being bred or slaughtered for this purpose, whether for personal or commercial consumption.
Why was this petition rejected?
It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.
It’s not clear what the petition is asking the UK Government or Parliament to do.
This is unclear as there appears to be no evidence that there is a market for breeding guinea pigs for human consumption in the UK.
There is certainly no commercial guinea pig meat industry in the UK.
No licensed slaughterhouses process guinea pigs for human consumption.
Guinea pigs are not listed as a permitted food species under the Food Standards Agency’s regulations for slaughter and meat hygiene.
This means the practice the petition wants to ban is not currently happening and is already effectively prohibited.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.