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01/11/2022
Alliances Calls For More To Be Done For Animal Welfare
Alliance has called for more to be done for animal welfare in Northern Ireland, with Animal Welfare spokesperson Patrick Brown raising concerns that charities are under increasing pressure due to rising costs and lack of effective legislation.
The South Down MLA made the comments following a recent visit to the Cats Protection charity's Adoption Centre in Belfast. The centre has seen its waiting list to take in new cats grow substantially.
Brown continued: "Cat's Protection is doing wonderful work. Currently they have over 250 cats on their waiting list, with a growing number being abandoned or brought to the adoption centre by owners that simply can't afford to care for them due to the cost of living crisis.
"As an organisation they don't receive any financial support from local authorities or government bodies and instead rely on donations. The cost of living crisis is having a direct impact on people, which in turn is affecting pets. Many people simply can't afford food, insurance, vets bills and everything else that goes with caring for an animal. This is yet another reason we need an Executive and Assembly back up and running to get further support to people that need it.
"I support introducing new legislation which will help Cats Protection and other animal welfare organisations. At a minimum I want to see Lucy's Law introduced to ban the commercial third-party sale of puppies and kittens. Alliance also supports the calls for compulsory microchipping of pet cats to be introduced in Northern Ireland, which is already in place for dogs.
"We also need to deal with the increasing problem of large scale animal breeding operations through legislation, properly funding our Councils to help enforce regulations and encouraging better information sharing between councils, charities and other statutory organisations."
The South Down MLA made the comments following a recent visit to the Cats Protection charity's Adoption Centre in Belfast. The centre has seen its waiting list to take in new cats grow substantially.
Brown continued: "Cat's Protection is doing wonderful work. Currently they have over 250 cats on their waiting list, with a growing number being abandoned or brought to the adoption centre by owners that simply can't afford to care for them due to the cost of living crisis.
"As an organisation they don't receive any financial support from local authorities or government bodies and instead rely on donations. The cost of living crisis is having a direct impact on people, which in turn is affecting pets. Many people simply can't afford food, insurance, vets bills and everything else that goes with caring for an animal. This is yet another reason we need an Executive and Assembly back up and running to get further support to people that need it.
"I support introducing new legislation which will help Cats Protection and other animal welfare organisations. At a minimum I want to see Lucy's Law introduced to ban the commercial third-party sale of puppies and kittens. Alliance also supports the calls for compulsory microchipping of pet cats to be introduced in Northern Ireland, which is already in place for dogs.
"We also need to deal with the increasing problem of large scale animal breeding operations through legislation, properly funding our Councils to help enforce regulations and encouraging better information sharing between councils, charities and other statutory organisations."
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USPCA calls on Assembly to consider crossbow regulation
The USPCA has called on the Assembly to take action on the issue of crossbows following what the animal welfare organisation described as an "appalling" attack on a horse. The Clydesdale horse was found with a metal bolt lodged in its jaw, having been grazing on the Creggan estate when it was attacked.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:Gale, coastal severe gale, northwest winds ease from late afternoon. Scattered showers will fall as snow over the hills at first, becoming isolated from mid-afternoon. Maximum temperature 7 °C.Tonight:Showers, scattered in the evening, will clear by midnight leaving the night dry with clear spells. Cloud will spread east towards morning. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
