[inops]

I see no reason why this wouldn't be serious. To put these comments into context, it's in preparation of the government's Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill[1] coming before the Commons. The Bill would set up an Animal Sentience Committee to scrutinise policies' effects on sentient animals. The government have brought this forward in preparation of future changes to British animal welfare legislation, now Britain has legislative independence in this area, post-EU exit. The Queen's Speech in May announced Britain would pursue "the highest standards of animal welfare", and the government said it would make Britain a "global leader" in this area[2]. As the Bill currently stands, it limits the Committee in considering only vertebrate animals (and therefore it cannot report with regards to others, including octopuses and lobsters). These MPs want to amend it to cover these other animals. Whether or not the Sentience Committee's reports are properly considered in policy is another matter.

[1] https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2867 [2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57072922