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14/07/2004
'Comprehensive' overhaul of animal welfare laws unveiled
The most comprehensive modernisation of laws on domestic and captive animals for a century has been introduced in draft from the Commons today.
The new legislation will introduce a new duty of care on pet owners to look after their pets properly, in accordance with good practice, and will, for the first time, define what constitutes cruelty. It will consolidate and modernise over 20 pieces of animal welfare legislation relating to farmed and non-farmed animals.
The Bill will also:
Previous legislation tended to be inflexible and rooted to an age that had to rely on horses for transport and farming. The law was unable to move with the times and we are not going to repeat that mistake, he said.
"The draft Bill extends a duty to promote animal welfare - currently present in farmed animal legislation - to all animal keepers. This will mean that all domestic or captive animals must be cared for in accordance with best animal management practices. This is a major improvement to current welfare laws which are often based on the view that good welfare is about taking action after an animal has suffered," Mr Bradshaw told the Commons.
However, for clarification, he added: "What this Bill does not do is threaten a gardener who kills a slug or steps on a snail with a £20,000 fine! As a keen gardener, I am a regular drowner of slugs in beer. This Bill applies to vertebrates only and only to vertebrates in the care of man."
The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee has decided to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Animal Welfare Bill and has made arrangements to enable the public to contribute their views and comments.
(gmcg)
The new legislation will introduce a new duty of care on pet owners to look after their pets properly, in accordance with good practice, and will, for the first time, define what constitutes cruelty. It will consolidate and modernise over 20 pieces of animal welfare legislation relating to farmed and non-farmed animals.
The Bill will also:
- strengthen and amend offences relating to animal fighting
- modernise and re-define the offence of cruelty
- impose a ban on mutilations - such as the tail docking of dogs - subject to limited exceptions only where there are welfare or good management reasons for the mutilation
- increase the range of sentences available to the courts when dealing with the various offences in the Bill
- extend powers in respect of both farmed and non-farmed animals to enable action to be taken as welfare needs arise
- and increase the effectiveness of animal welfare law enforcement. This will include the provision of additional powers for inspectors from central and local government and the police
Previous legislation tended to be inflexible and rooted to an age that had to rely on horses for transport and farming. The law was unable to move with the times and we are not going to repeat that mistake, he said.
"The draft Bill extends a duty to promote animal welfare - currently present in farmed animal legislation - to all animal keepers. This will mean that all domestic or captive animals must be cared for in accordance with best animal management practices. This is a major improvement to current welfare laws which are often based on the view that good welfare is about taking action after an animal has suffered," Mr Bradshaw told the Commons.
However, for clarification, he added: "What this Bill does not do is threaten a gardener who kills a slug or steps on a snail with a £20,000 fine! As a keen gardener, I am a regular drowner of slugs in beer. This Bill applies to vertebrates only and only to vertebrates in the care of man."
The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee has decided to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Animal Welfare Bill and has made arrangements to enable the public to contribute their views and comments.
(gmcg)
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