| Draft
Animal Welfare Bill |
Most people are in agreement when it comes to
the fact that the Animal Welfare Bill is in chronic need of updating.
Although updates have occurred with regards farm animals, the
legislation regarding the welfare of domestic animals has remained
stagnant. So what will the new bill mean for ordinary pet owners? |
Duty of Care
If and when the bill becomes law, owners will need to provide a
manner of care appropriate for the animal. For dog owners, this
will mean allowing the dog to live in a suitable environment, have
adequate food and water, be able to exhibit normal behaviour, and
be protected from pain and injury. Welfare groups will be able to
intervene sooner if these conditions are not met, which means that
more can be done to actually prevent suffering in the first place.
|
Cruelty Prevention
Like the ‘duty of care’, the cruelty aspects of the
bill emphasises prevention. Police and animal inspectors will have
increased rights to prevent cruelty, from gaining access to a dog
in a hot car to intervening in arranged dog fights. Prison sentences
and fines are also proposed for an increase. |
Tail Docking
One of the most hotly debated issues covered in the Government’s
draft Animal Welfare Bill is the banning or restriction of tail
docking, which is described as a ‘mutilation’ which
cannot be justified except in specific cases of good management
or welfare. |
Wide Reaching
Cruelty by neglect will be just as punishable as deliberate cruelty.
The bill also covers cruelty by owner and keeper, hence covers breeders,
kennels and other boarding establishments and would also have implications
for Greyhound racing and certain equipment use such as shock devices.
|
Other Points Covered
Anyone under 16 years of age will be prohibited from buying pets.
The current age is just 12 years old. Also, animals will not be
allowed to be given as prizes, for example goldfish at funfairs. |
You can help
This draft Animal Welfare Bill has been published but is not yet
law. If the bill is not introduced into parliament this November,
it will lie dormant for yet another year. Write to your MP urging
them to lobby the Government to introduce the bill as soon as possible,
and then urge them to speak in its support and vote for it. |
| Update
- February 2005 |
The draft Animal Welfare Bill needs far more work
before being placed before Parliament, says a new report. Many complex
issues still need to be resolved and definitions and aims made clearer.
Electric Devices
The biggest addition to the Bill so far has been the introduction
of recommendations concerning the use of electric shock collars
and fences. Current thoughts on the appropriate approach to take
would outlaw the use of electronic shock collars and perimeter fence
devices for the purposes of training.
Greyhound Racing Industry
Efra recommends that greyhound racing tracks should be licensed
as soon as possible. This is a change to the original draft Bill,
which allowed the industry until 2010 to regulate itself and improve
welfare standards. |
