News and commentaries
Spring Term 2025-26
In this LSE US Politics and Policy blog, Veterinary Policy Research Fellow Dr Steven McCulloch addresses key developments in US animal-welfare ethics and policy; Proposition 12, the Farm Bill and the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA's) stance. Does the AVMA’s support of the Farm Bill indicate that the profession is prioritising pork‑industry concerns over animal welfare - a potential “capture” of the US veterinary profession?
Our Changing Behaviours and Attitudes research team - Feiyang Wang, Kristina Kiminiute, Frederic Basso, Jonathan Birch - have generated insights into the effectiveness of promoting cultivated (lab-grown) meat products to UK pet-owners. While existing strategies often emphasise health and safety benefits, their study indicates that targeted animal‑sentience messaging may be an underused opportunity.
In this LSE British Politics blog, our Centre Director Professor Jonathan Birch examines the ethical quandary of non-stun slaughter methods and proposes a sensible middle-ground which provides welfare gains, while respecting religious freedom.
Featuring our Centre Director Jonathan Birch alongside interdisciplinary experts Jeff Sebo, Jo-Anne McArthur and Carrie Friese, this LSE iQ episode asks: should animals have rights like humans? The discussion covers the different interpretations of "animal protection", the concept of "human exceptionalism", and explores real‑world legal cases and enforcement gaps. It also highlights current progress, policy developments and possible routes forward for improving the lives of animals.
In a new interview with Ed Winters, our Centre Director, Professor Jonathan Birch discusses some of the biggest questions in animal ethics: sentience, scientific evidence, human bias, and emerging challenges such as invertebrate farming and the role of AI.
Access the podcast and transcript from Ed Winters.
Winter Term 2025-26
In this LSE British Politics blog, our Veterinary Policy Research Fellow, Dr Steven McCulloch argues that the veterinary profession wields significant influence over food systems, public health and farmed animal welfare. And yet, it lacks any meaningful scrutiny. Far greater accountability is needed to protect animals, people and the planet.
Professor Jonathan Birch has completed a major update of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Animal Consciousness. The revised entry now includes new material on non‑Western perspectives, methodological challenges, and the evolutionary big pictures.
In a new article published in Vet Record, Dr Steven McCulloch addresses some of the most urgent challenges of our time - climate change, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), zoonotic disease, biodiversity loss and animal suffering. By examining these interconnected risks, he argues that veterinarians have a professional duty to support national meat‑reduction targets.
LSE Consulting have published an interview with Professor Jonathan Birch, exploring what led him to research animal sentience. It touches on foundational work, including contributing evidence to the UK Animal Sentience Act (2022), and introduces our interdisciplinary approach. The interview also reflects on good practices for researchers working between public understanding, industry, and policymaking.
Autumn Term 2025-26
Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform our relationships with animals. In this piece, Isabella Logothetis, Spencer Jury and Jonathan Birch argue that more must be done to ensure technological change works for, rather than against, the interests of other species.
We’re delighted that our Centre Director, Professor Jonathan Birch, has been awarded the 2025 Nayef Al-Rodhan Book Prize (The Royal Institute of Philosophy), for The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI.
This edition of LSE’s Research for the World magazine spotlights Professor Jonathan Birch’s work on animal sentience. As our understanding of animal minds grows, so too does the challenge of turning insight into real‑world impact.
This press release announced the establishment of The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, made possible through a £4 million multi‑year commitment from the Jeremy Coller Foundation.