‘Seismic’ day for welfare with new sentencing
A law increasing the maximum prison term for animal cruelty to five years has finally passed through parliament
THE passing of a law increasing the maximum sentence for the worst cases of animal abuse has been hailed a “seismic day” for animal welfare.
Following years of campaigning, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill passed its final reading at parliament and received royal assent on 29 April. This means courts will have the power to impose sentences of up to five years’ prison for animal abusers, an increase from six months. The law will bring England and Wales – once the Welsh government passes a legislative consent motion – into line with Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In 2017, the Government pledged to reform the maximum sentence for those prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act, with cross-party support. The
Bill was brought forward in June 2019 and progressed through parliament – but was brought to a halt when a general election was called that autumn. The legislation was reintroduced to parliament in February 2020.
World Horse Welfare, the Blue Cross and the RSPCA are among the charities that have worked in a coalition since 2019 campaigning
for increased penalties.
“This is a seismic day for animal welfare and I want to say a huge thank you to all our supporters who campaigned to help make this happen – you really did make the difference,” said World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers.
“We are delighted the Bill has finally become law, giving courts the opportunity to hand out much heftier sentences, in line with other countries; this goes some way towards acknowledging how heinous animal cruelty can be.
“Of course, we recognise that most equine offences are for neglect and do not receive prison sentences, and while this Bill is a huge step in the right direction, there is still so much more to achieve. This will include pushing hard for accessible registers of equine offenders, so investigators in any part of Great Britain will be able immediately to confirm if a person has received a ban on keeping animals.”
RSPCA CEO Chris Sherwood said every year the charity’s officers are faced with cases of the “most unimaginable cruelty”.
“Tougher sentences will act as a stronger deterrent to potential animal abusers and will help us in our aim to cancel out animal cruelty once and for all,” he said.
“This reform is long overdue – for many years, the most violent and horrific abuse and cruelty received a maximum penalty of just a few months. We’re proud to have some of the best standards of animal welfare in the world but custodial sentences have long been letting us down.”
“You made the
difference”
ROLY OWERS