Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: welfare of animals as sentient beings - activity review 2025

2. Programmes For Government

A Programme for Government is published every year at the beginning of September to set out the actions that the Scottish Government intends to take in the coming year and beyond. It includes the legislative programme for the next parliamentary year. An additional Programme was published in May 2025 setting out the Scottish Government’s plans for its year in office before the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026.

Both Programmes published within the period of this review identified four key priorities for the Scottish Government: eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services. As in previous years, the Scottish Government emphasised ongoing financial limitations, noting the need for emergency spending controls and savings measures for 2024‑25 and cost of living challenges for the wider public.

Neither Programme contained any new or ongoing commitments specifically directed at animal welfare, although previously announced initiatives continued to make progress during the period and are discussed later in this review. Relevant commitments in other areas, including restoring and protecting the natural environment, progressing the Good Food Nation Plan and streamlining the consenting process for aquaculture sites are also discussed.