Talking Animal Law

In this special edition, Peter Egan, actor, animal advocate and ambassador for the charity Nowzad, talks about the organisation behind the headlines, including the brave team who at the time of broadcast are facing danger from Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Our thoughts are also with other animal rescues in the region, including Kabul Small Animal Rescue and with all people at heightened risk in this region. The title is taken from Nowzad's leader, Pen Farthing who in one of his early tweets, asked people to pray for a miracle. To donate go to https://www.nowzad.com/donate

Our legal experts discuss two legal cases that made the headlines in 2020.

Friends of Antique Cultural Treasures Ltd v DEFRA [2020] EWCA Civ 649, concerning a challenge to the legality of the Ivory Act 2018, and R (National Farmers Union & Anor) v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [2020] EWHC 1192 (Admin) challenging a decision not to grant licences to kill badgers in furtherance of its policy for control of bovine TB.

Barristers, Frances Allen and Alan Bates explain what judicial review is, how it was used in each of these respective cases and what lesson can be learnt from these legal challenges.

In this first episode, I am talking animal law with Peter Stevenson, Chief Policy Advisor at Compassion in World Farming (CIWF). Peter is a qualified lawyer who has worked for nearly three decades in animal welfare. During this time, he played a leading role in winning the EU bans on veal crates, battery cages and sow stalls as well as a new status for animals in EU law as sentient beings. In October 2020, Peter was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, in recognition of his tremendous contributions in the field of animal welfare. I talk to Peter talks about his career, the highs and lows, successes and obstacles and what he sees as the challenges ahead.

This episode introduces you to our brand new podcast, Talking Animal Law. In this episode we tell the reader who we are and why we are launching this legal podcast focusing exclusively on animals.