The Government published the Animal Welfare Bill in October.

The United Kingdom has a long history of protecting animals from cruelty, and was in fact, the first country in the world to introduce parliamentary legislation for animal welfare. The Protection of Animals Act was passed in 1911, which made it an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal. However, much of this legislation is now out dated and fails to provide animals with standards of welfare appropriate for our times. The Government has carried out a public consultation on what people would like to see in twenty first century welfare legislation, and is now inviting comment on the draft Bill.

The Bill introduces a clear legal definition of cruelty against an animal, and provide new powers to the courts, police, and government law enforcement agencies to deal effectively with people who ill treat or neglect animals in their care.

I feel that these are vital reforms that need to become law in order to properly legislate for the protection of animals. This Government has delivered some important animal welfare measures since 1997, including banning fur farming, securing and end to the testing of cosmetics on animals and requiring all trainers and exhibitors of animals to be registered with local authorities, and I will continue to closely monitor the progress of the Bill.

Read more about the Bill by clicking HERE