Labour Party Conference Oct 2025

Labour’s Test: Leadership on Animal Welfare and Food 

This year, I was pleased to attend the Labour Party Conference alongside our Chief Executive, Richard McIlwain. 

What stood out most from the sessions I attended was Labour’s clear intention to move forward on issues such as animal welfare and food, and promises to progress these areas in a collaborate and cross-departmental effort, to create a healthier and more sustainable future.  

Putting Animal Welfare on the Agenda 

Encouragingly, discussions around animal welfare took place throughout the conference, with a range of Fringe events and discussions dedicated to the issue. I joined a private roundtable hosted by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, where representatives from animal protection organisations came together to discuss how to make the upcoming animal welfare strategy as strong as possible. MPs, including Ruth Jones MP, a long-time parliamentary advocate for animal welfare, also joined the conversation. 

I highlighted that to truly deliver on its objectives, the strategy must include ending some of the cruelest practices that farmed animals currently endure, which others agreed with. One of which is the routine practice of male chick culling in the UK. Every year, around 45 million day-old male chicks are killed simply because they cannot lay eggs. This must end. 

Recognition for the Vegetarian Society’s Work 

The Labour Animal Welfare Society (LAWS) has been a key supporter of our Ban Hatch & Dispatch campaign and signed our open letter earlier this year calling for an end to male chick culling. 

At the LAWS evening reception, MPs including Irene Campbell MP spoke passionately about the urgent need for progress to ensure the UK remains a global leader in animal welfare. Irene kindly highlighted the Vegetarian Society’s work in shining a light on male chick culling and our role in securing the first ever House of Commons debate on this issue, an important step towards change. 

From Promises to Action 

My key takeaway from the Labour Party Conference is that promises must now turn into action. 

We are eagerly awaiting the release of Labour’s new animal welfare strategy, expected this autumn, and we expect to see a firm commitment to ending male chick culling included within it. 

Equally, Labour’s food strategy must go beyond broad statements about “healthy diets.” Real leadership means: 

• Investing in British horticulture. 

• Supporting farmers to diversify into growing fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and peas. 

• Introducing procurement standards that normalise plant-based meals in schools, prisons, and hospitals. 

Without these measures, our diets will remain too reliant on meat and dairy – perpetuating hidden costs to our health, the environment, and animals. 

Holding Labour to Account 

The public is ready for change. Research shows that 66% of people are open to reducing meat consumption, and most would pay more for higher-welfare products. Irene Campbell MP also emphasised the importance of clear labelling, allowing consumers to make informed choices, which is another issue we strongly support (read more in our position statement on this topic). 

Now Labour must show the political courage to match public appetite. That means: 

• An animal welfare strategy that ends outdated cruelties like routine male chick culling. 

• A food strategy that puts fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and peas at the centre of farming and public procurement. 

• Cross-government action to make healthy, affordable, plant-based food the norm, not the exception. 

A Moment of Opportunity 

Labour has made big promises on food and animal welfare. Delivery is now the test. Anything less than ambitious, joined-up strategies would be a missed opportunity, one the public will not easily forgive. 

At the Vegetarian Society, we believe that the future of food and the future of animal welfare are inseparable. Labour has the chance to lead on both. The question is – will it take it? 

How You Can Help 

We need your support to keep up the momentum. 

Write to your MP and urge them to ensure that a commitment to end male chick culling is included in the upcoming animal welfare strategy. Together, we can help make this change a reality.