The Protection of Animals Act, which forms the basis of almost all animal welfare legislation, was made law in 1911. As this act is almost 100 years old, welfare professionals are in the process of trying to revise and update the law by replacing the Protection of Animals Act with a new Animal Welfare Bill.
It is hoped The Animal Welfare Bill will improve the welfare of all animals by tightening the legislation that protects them. There are three main areas which the Bill will tackle. Firstly it will give welfare professionals greater powers to investigate incidents of cruelty and neglect. Secondly it will enable action to be taken earlier to help animals kept in unsuitable conditions or without the care they need. Thirdly, it will increase the penalties faced by people who are found guilty of breaking animal welfare laws.
The Animal Welfare Act has passed successfully through the parliamentary process and received Royal Assent, which is the very last stage, on Wednesday 8th November 2006. There is now a period when the necessary alterations to legal systems and working practices can be put into place ready for when the law comes into force on 6th April 2007.
The initial enforcement of a new law is not a straightforward process, there are many different parties who hope the legislation will achieve the things they have been working for, as well as people who want to resist the increased pressure on them as owners to care properly for their animals. There will need to be cases which come to court so that lawyers can test the new legislation and start to establish exactly what can and cannot be achieved under the new Act.
If you would like more information about the new Animal Welfare Bill, visit the following web pages:
www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/bill
www.rspca.org.uk (‘welfare bill’ is the first option on the Campaign’s drop down menu) |
