Companion Animal Sector Council

24/09/2026

On Tuesday our Chair and Vice-Chair were delighted to be invited to the Guinea Pig Welfare Forum organised by Burgess Pet Care and co-hosted by Guinea Pig Welfare UK. This annual forum has quickly established itself as the key event for anyone interested in these wonderful animals and this year was no exception.

The 2026 event covered a wide range of topics including cutting edge welfare research, responsible breeding and even Guinea Pig caesareans! Tariq delivered a presentation covering the need to regulate rescue and rehoming activity and the ongoing CASC working group looking at this complexed topic before they both took part in the closing discussion panel which also looked at this topic.

All in all a great day and if you have an interest in Guinea Pigs then look out for the 2027 event!

22/09/2026

Good reliable data is a cornerstone of any discussion about welfare guidance or policy. Without a range of accurate, impartial data then we can never be sure we know the whole story.

CASC was delighted to attend the launch of the Animal Welfare Evidence Centre, headed up by Dr Jenny Maher who you may remember from our 2026 CASC Animal Welfare Forum. The centre brings together academic expertise, policy insight and sector partners to deliver impactful, policy-relevant research. You can read those first report, exploring the scale of animal harm in the U.K. here. https://evidence-centre.rspca.org.uk/documents/d/animal-welfare-evidence-centre/the-scale-of-reported-illegal-animal-abuse-and-neglect-in-great-britain-pdf

We look forward to working with the centre in the coming years and contributing to the research.

05/08/2026

The UK Government is consulting on the general sale and classification of fireworks. You can give your views on the proposals here:

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08/07/2026

What a fantastic day at our 2026 Companion Animal Welfare Forum in Westminster on 2 July!

Now that the dust has settled, we are delighted to reflect on a hugely successful event that brought together more than 100 CASC members and guests from across the companion animal sector.

The Forum is a unique opportunity for animal keepers, businesses, welfare organisations, sector experts, Peers, MPs, Government officials and devolved administrations to come together in one room. These face-to-face conversations help build understanding, strengthen cooperation and ensure that the views and experiences of those working across the sector help shape future discussions and policy.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who helped make the day such a success. Our thanks go to Lord Trees for his continued support of CASC, Baroness Hayman for finding time in her ministerial diary to join us, Dr Neil Hudson MP for supporting the event, the Defra team for making so many colleagues available, Peter Laurie and representatives from the devolved administrations for travelling to London to take part.

A special thank you also goes to our speakers, Liz Mullineaux, Dr Harriet Pierpoint and Dr Jenny Maher, for their informative and thought-provoking presentations, and to our discussion moderators, Sharon Edwards, Tariq Abou-Zahr, Elliot Simpson-Brown and Sonya Miles, for keeping the conversations focused, constructive and relevant.

Finally, thank you to our helpers, note takers, photographers and, of course, everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions. Your input is invaluable and will help inform CASC’s ongoing work.

If you joined us on the day, we would love to see your photos — please share them in the comments below.

We look forward to continuing these important conversations and hope to see you all — and many more — in 2027!

02/07/2026

Listening to Lord Trees starting the annual CASC forum. It's wonderful to see all the stakeholders here to share their views, and best practices.

"Improving animal welfare is a journey of many steps."

29/06/2026

29/06/2026

Our 2026 Companion Animal Welfare Forum is just a few days away, and we have a fantastic day of presentations and discussion groups lined up.

A few late places have become available, so if you’d like to join the conversation in London on 2 July, please email [email protected].

We would especially welcome delegates from small rescue and rehoming centres, commercial pet breeders, and licensed pet businesses

29/06/2026

Our 2026 Companion Animal Welfare Forum is just a few days away, bringing together a range of companion animal sector stakeholders we have a fantastic day of presentations and discussion groups lined up.
A few late places have become available, so if you’d like to join the conversation in London on 2 July, please email [email protected].
We’ll be covering some of today’s key companion animal welfare topics, including licensing of activities involving animals, regulation of rescue and rehoming centres, veterinary access for companion animals, and pet sourcing — all important areas within the Government’s animal welfare strategy.

We would especially welcome delegates from small rescue and rehoming centres, commercial pet breeders, and licensed pet businesses. Come and be part of the discussion!