22 December 2000



Trading Standards Welcomes Protection Bill

The Trading Standards Institute has announced its support for the new Protection of Animals (Amendment) Bill.

Now that the Bill has gained Royal Assent, and magistrates will soon be able to grant orders allowing for the care, disposal, sale or slaughter of animals, Trading Standards have indicated their position regarding enforcement.

Graham Venn, animal health and welfare spokesman for Trading Standards focused his attention on the farming community in his remarks:

"We welcome the announcement that this loophole in the law has been plugged.

We have campaigned for a number of years to plug the loophole whereby negligent livestock owners allow animals to suffer and nothing can be done about it until the matter is finalised in court and a ban from having custody is imposed.

Even then, some farmers have ignored the ban. Now magistrates will be able to act to prevent this unnecessary suffering."

The Trading Standards service in most local authorities has responsibility for the enforcement of the legislation relating to livestock neglect or cruelty.