Two years of Labour: Has the Government delivered for animals?

When Labour won the General Election on 4 July 2024, they promised to “improve animal welfare”. Within their manifesto, they pledged to ban the use of snares, crack down on puppy farming, end the import of hunting trophies, ban trail hunting, and work towards the phasing out of animal testing.  

Two years on, where are we? 

There have been consultations, strategies, reviews, and roadmaps. There have been some signs of progress but for millions of animals, life hasn’t changed.

Promises were made – too few have been kept. 

Greyhounds and horses: The animals Labour forgot 

Perhaps the most glaring omission from Labour’s agenda is their failure to include animals exploited for entertainment. 

Neither the 2024 manifesto nor the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy says anything about the thousands of greyhounds and horses forced to race. Despite the overwhelming evidence that has been put in front of ministers, the Government has shown no appetite in tackling the industries responsible for harming, injuring, and killing thousands of animals each year. 

More than 55,000 people signed a petition calling for greyhound racing to be banned, which was handed to 10 Downing St earlier this year. The Reaching the Finish Line report by Grey2K USA and the League Against Cruel Sports laid bare the industry’s systemic suffering. Animal Aid has repeatedly submitted evidence to various Government bodies detailing potentially criminal activity unreported by the industry and never investigated by the Police.  

The evidence is there. Public support is there. Yet the Government’s silence on animals in entertainment is loud. 

Animals in science: Progress but not the transformation that Labour promised 

Labour’s manifesto pledged to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. 

Since then, the Government’s strategy to replace animals in science includes several encouraging commitments. We welcomed the news that: 

1. 1. The rabbit pyrogen test will be replaced by the end of 2025.
   2. There will be an end to the use of animals in ‘Botox’ testing. However, this ban will not be in place until the end of 2027 and shockingly, on ‘rare occasions’ animals might still be used.
   3. Training in non-animal methods for early career researchers will be prioritised. 

These are positive steps – but they fall short of the transformation animals desperately need. 

Lethal dose toxicity tests (LD50 and LC50) have not been banned, while the strategy alarmingly accepts methods to merely reduce the use of animals, rather than a bold commitment to animal-free science. If the Government is serious about phasing out animal testing, it must commit to exactly that: replacement. 

The scale of suffering remains staggering. Government statistics show more than 2.5 million animals were used in laboratories during 2024 and over 48,000 experiments were classed as ‘severe’. Meanwhile, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit recorded 146 cases of non-compliance involving more than 22,000 animals, many linked to failures in basic standards of care.  

As if this was not concerning enough, in February 2026, the Government made a significant and deeply concerning change to the Public Order Act. By formally classifying ‘life sciences’ locations – like Government licensed animal testing facilities – as key national infrastructure, any actions interpreted as “interference” may now be criminalised, making it harder than ever for activists to expose animal suffering. 

Footage filmed inside UK laboratories – for the first time in over a decade – demonstrated why these changes are so alarming and why the Government cannot be anything less than bold in their commitment to end animal testing.

Wildlife: Where is Labour’s ban on snares? 

Labour made bold promises for wildlife. 

It pledged to ban trail hunting, outlaw the import of hunting trophies, and end the use of cruel snare traps. These commitments were repeated in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, alongside promises to review wildlife traps and examine issues within the ‘gamebird’ industry. However, the strategy stated that it would be “focusing on the changes and improvements we aim to achieve by 2030” – which is still four long years away. 

Since then, while the consultation on trail hunting closed on 18 June, there is no clear timetable for next steps. 

There is also precious little news on Labour’s promise to ban snare traps. Campaigners were led to believe that legislation was on its way but the latest round of Private Members’ Bills contain no proposals to outlaw these cruel traps. Wales banned snares in 2023, followed by Scotland in 2024, showing England to be the weak link, leaving foxes, badgers, deer, hares, domestic cats and countless other animals vulnerable to unimaginable agony and fear. 

The delay on banning snares is indefensible. 

Elsewhere, behind the scenes, the Government’s Animal and Plant and Health Agency (APHA) is reviewing the “humaneness” of other types of traps currently approved for use. Animal Aid welcome this review and will submit our evidence to the Government, including photos and footage from our undercover investigations into cruel bird traps. 

The clock is ticking 

After two years in power, Labour’s manifesto promises remain exactly that, and animals do not benefit from promises alone. 

For greyhounds exploited for racing, animals enduring torturous laboratory experiments, wildlife caught in snares, and countless others, meaningful change depends on legislation being introduced and delivered – not merely discussed. 

There is still time for Labour to turn things around.