Sentient, The Veterinary Institute for Animal Ethics

05/06/2025

This is really wonderful news: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is replacing the requirement for animal testing in the development of monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs with more effective, human-relevant methods. The new approach is designed to improve drug safety and accelerate the evaluation process, while reducing animal experimentation, lowering research and development (R&D) costs, and ultimately, drug prices.

FDA Plans to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement

04/06/2025

While Sentient supports the export of chilled meat as an alternative to live exports, there are still serious welfare concerns with the local industry, too, as revealed by researchers at Curtin University. Thousands of sheep, pigs and cattle are being subjected to emergency killings after transport to Australian export abattoirs, an analysis of internal government records shows. Curtin University researchers have also found it is taking almost 11 hours, on average, to inspect animals for injury and sickness after they arrive at abattoir facilities – delays that “significantly increase the likelihood of animals requiring emergency euthanasia”.

Euthanasia is most common response to welfare incidents in sheep, pigs and cattle with about 4% of animals experiencing serious incidents, research finds

03/06/2025

This sounds promising.... Politicians from the United States have written to their Australian counterparts urging them to consider an end to greyhound racing in Australia and detailing how the “sport” is on the verge of ending in the US after years of track closures and animal welfare legislation. The diverse bipartisan group of more than a dozen politicians from Massachusetts, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, New Hampshire, West Virginia and Rhode Island state legislatures took the unusual step of an open letter to urge Australian politicians to consider the experience of the US industry, which has dramatically shrunk in recent years.

American lawmakers have taken the unusual step of appealing to their Australian counterparts to consider following the US example and banning greyhound racing.

02/06/2025

This course comes highly recommended by one of Sentient's committee members: a great refresher on how to apply the 5 Domains of animal welfare (with a focus on horse welfare, but can be extrapolated to other contexts).

31/05/2025

This recent ABC article highlights the devastating impact of the cost of living crisis on pet owners, with the worst case scenario being the euthanasia of pets due to the inability to pay emergency vet bills. We have recently learned about a wonderful organisation based in SA called Safe Pets Safe Families - keeping people and pets together. They are lobbying for veterinary care to be subsidised by the government to help both pet owners and the increasingly under-pressure veterinary industry. We could not agree more! Check out their webpage, they do wonderful work in supporting owners and their pets in may ways, including through their Vet Crisis Fund.

https://safepetssafefamilies.org.au/

Michael thought he would have to surrender his beloved cat when he was suddenly hit with a big emergency vet bill. Experts say many Australians are taking on debts through high-interest loan schemes or making the heartbreaking decision to euthanise their pets.

31/05/2025

Save the date! Animal-Free Science Advocacy & Professor Andrew Knight will be discussing animal use in research, explore alternatives and ethical education options. An event not to be missed!

Thu, 5 Jun 2025 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM ACST

Animal-Free Science Advocacy & Professor Andrew Knight discuss animal use in research, explore alternatives and ethical education options

29/05/2025

RSPCA - Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Assurance – 1. a promise, 2.

29/05/2025

Breaking news: for the first time, the use of padded whips has been deemed an act of cruelty, which it is. On 27 May it was proven in a Tasmanian court that padded whips cause pain and suffering to horses. The guilty ruling relates to Tasmanian racehorse trainer Liandra Gray, who was recorded on CCTV in July 2022 hitting a racehorse with a padded whip more than 40 times. RSPCA Tasmania charged the trainer under the Animal Welfare Act with committing an act which “caused or was likely to cause unjustifiable pain or suffering to an animal.” Sentient has always advocated a ban on the use of whips and thanks to this legal precedent, there may be a way forward. We commend RSPCA Tasmania for taking such action, The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses who have constantly raised this as a welfare issue and particuarly Professor Paul McGreevy for his long history of veterinary research into the negative impacts of whip use on horses. Such evidence can no longer be silenced.

THIS COURT DECISION COULD JUST BE THE BEST NEWS OF ALL TIME FOR THE WELFARE OF RACEHORSES.

On 27 May it was proven in a Tasmanian court that padded whips indeed cause pain and suffering to horses. This is the first court decision, since the introduction of padded whips in 2009, against their use on horses.

This ruling is significant because it wasn’t any old whip in question, it was the specific padded whip which is approved for racing, and which Racing Australia claims do not hurt horses.

The conventional whip was replaced with a padded whip in 2009 because of the massive public concern about the pain it inflicts upon horses to be whipped. The racing industry has justified its continued use of the whip by arguing it has not been proven that whipping hurts horses.

With this court decision, that argument is no longer valid.

The guilty ruling relates to Tasmanian racehorse trainer Liandra Gray, who was recorded on CCTV in July 2022 hitting a racehorse with a padded whip more than 40 times.

Under the Animal Welfare Act, the RSPCA charged the trainer with committing an act which “caused or was likely to cause unreasonable and unjustifiable pain or suffering to an animal.”

The defendant Liandra Gray pleaded not guilty. In her defence, she claimed she had used less force with the whip than a jockey would in a race.

Although the whip that was used was padded, the Court was satisfied that it caused the horse to experience 'unreasonable and unjustifiable pain or suffering.'

This ruling is first step to the end of whips in racing. Thank you so much RSPCA Tasmania for pursuing the case🐴💜👏

29/05/2025

We love this post by David Attenborough Fans. Crustaceans are consumed by humans all over the world but they are sentient beings, capable of feeling pain and distress, and so should at the very least be humanely rendered unconscious before being killed. Despite this, too many are boiled alive without prior stunning. This is a barbaric practice that must not be allowed to be normalised on cultural or any other grounds.

Never eat it. It's an overly intelligent creature.
If you absolutely must, remember that death by boiling is an inhumane practice — and in many places, illegal.
When a lobster is cooked alive, it literally implodes from the pain. Its internal organs disintegrate due to the extreme heat, but its exoskeleton remains intact, clinging to its structure and prolonging the animal’s agony.
Lobsters are conscious enough to feel pain, but because they lack vocal cords, they can’t cry out. The high-pitched sound you hear — often mistaken for a scream — is actually steam escaping through tiny pores in the shell as the organs boil.
It is among the most painful and cruel deaths any living creature can endure.

20/05/2025

More shocking revelations about the welfare of livestock exported to Australian export abattoirs. Curtin University researchers who analysed internal government records found it takes almost 11 hours on average to inspect animals for injury and sickness after they arrive at the abattoirs. These delays increase the likelihood of emergency killing, the most common response. Furthermore, 4% of the cattle, sheep and pigs arriving at these facilities have experienced serious welfare incidents including poor handling, calving and pregnancies during transportation, lameness and skin injuries. The authors suggested a range of reforms, including stronger farm inspections to determine which animals were fit for transport, and the removal of financial incentives to transport unfit animals. However, there are also internal problems at export abattors. Recently, veterinary whistleblowers complained that such animal welfare incidents were going unreported to state regulators and that the system was chronically understaffed, leaving some facilities unmonitored. At least one veterinarian resigned over changes restricting the ability of vets to enter pens to inspect animals. The department rejected those allegations, with a spokesperson at the time claiming it had a “robust regulatory framework and takes regulatory action, where appropriate, for breaches of animal welfare requirements”.

Euthanasia is most common response to welfare incidents in sheep, pigs and cattle with about 4% of animals experiencing serious incidents, research finds

18/05/2025

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has now affected 15 species in the Antarctic, including seabirds and penguins, and scientist Dr Meagan Dewar has reported detections in most seal species in the region, confirming the findings of other research teams. This is a cause of great suffering, with affected animals showing neurological symptoms and respiratory distress before death. There are now concerns that penguins may have become asymptomatic carriers and that Antartic seals may also be spreading the virus. The WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne is conducting research to confirm where and how the high pathogenciity aviance influenza (HPAI H5N1) is spreading throughout the continent. Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Beth Cookson has confirmed the risk to Australia's mainland has increased and in response, the Government is updating its Avian Influenza Plan and ramping up surveillance and preparedness. However, Dr Cookson noted that: "Once this H5 avian inflenza virus is in wild bird popultaion, there are limited options available to prevent or lmit the spread", which also poses potential risks to human health.

Australia is surrounded by the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. And it is morphing as sea animals and birds bring it ever closer to these shores.

18/05/2025

We are very excited about this upcoming presentation oranised by Animal-Free Science Advocacy. Professor Andrew Knight will be presenting on the use of animlas in research, available alternatives and options for ethical education in Australia. This is a live presentation on Thursday June 5th at the Box Factory Communiry Centre in Adelaide from 7 to 9pm. Tickets are selling fast.

The event details and registration are at:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/animal-free-science-advocacy-prof-andrew-knight-animal-use-in-research-tickets-1354316169119

Animal-Free Science Advocacy & Professor Andrew Knight discuss animal use in research, explore alternatives and ethical education options