Action Plan for Animal Welfare.
Following the Queen’s speech last week, the UK government also announced an ‘Action Plan for Animal Welfare’ which included 40 different measures it will introduce during this parliamentary session to enhance animal welfare
Included in this, was the commitment to bring in compulsory microchipping of pet cats and a review of snares. We will be stepping up our campaign for an outright ban on the use of snares.
We welcomed legislation to address low welfare pet imports, the licensing of animal sanctuaries, and measures to tackle pet theft. We also welcomed the potential use of new penalty notices for crimes against animals. While prosecution would always be the most appropriate action in serious cases of cruelty, the use of penalty notices may be a quicker and more effective deterrent in some cases where a cat is harmed.