It is one of those headlines which would benefit from being read with a bit of scrutiny, as taken at face value it makes no sense. Under what possible circumstances would MPs be debating whether animals can feel pain? How is that an issue for parliamentary debate? They’re not biologists of veterinary scientists. Even if they were, how is it something to be enshrined in law? We don’t have laws saying animals do or don’t feel pain; that’s a precept on which to base laws. We have laws saying we mustn’t cause them pain, which is what is actually being debated here.
It’s nonsense.