Animal Welfare Act

Couple jailed for selling sick puppies

A Kent couple who sold dying puppies to unsuspecting buyers have been jailed for a number of fraud and animal welfare offences. Anthony and Lucy O’Donnell, both of Old Maidstone Road, Sidcup, appeared at Inner London Crown Court for sentencing after 12 people reported buying sick puppies, ten of whom…

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Couple jailed for selling sick puppies

A Kent couple who sold dying puppies to unsuspecting buyers have been jailed for a number of fraud and animal welfare offences. Anthony and Lucy O’Donnell, both of Old Maidstone Road, Sidcup, appeared at Inner London Crown Court for sentencing after 12 people reported buying sick puppies, ten of whom…

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RSPCA to keep powers of prosecution

Private prosecutions will continue to be made by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a new report reveals. MPs called for the government to lessen the prosecution power of the RSPCA in November 2016 so it only acted in exceptional cases. This followed allegations of pets being wrongly taken from homes…

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New puppy sale laws crack down on backyard breeders

The sales of puppies younger than eight weeks has been made illegal in a bid to crack down on irresponsible breeders. Environment Secretary, Andrea Leadsom, announced that ministers would toughen dog breeding licensing rules to protect thousand of puppies. Anyone breeding and selling three or more litters of puppies a…

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New puppy sale laws crack down on backyard breeders

The sales of puppies younger than eight weeks has been made illegal in a bid to crack down on irresponsible breeders. Environment Secretary, Andrea Leadsom, announced that ministers would toughen dog breeding licensing rules to protect thousand of puppies. Anyone breeding and selling three or more litters of puppies a…

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MPs’ focus on RSPCA a ‘disappointing distraction’ from animal welfare improvements, says BVA

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has issued a response to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRACom) report on ‘Animal welfare in England: domestic pets’. The report makes a number of recommendations to improve the implementation of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 but also calls for RSPCA to ‘step back’…

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RSPCA says it will continue to prosecute, despite EFRA report

On November 16, 2016, the RSPCA issued a response to an EFRA Committee report which recommended that the RSPCA passes animal abuse cases to the CPS to prosecute. The statement said: “The RSPCA today reassured supporters that it will continue its long history of prosecuting horrific cases of animal abuse and neglect…

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RSPCA should step back from prosecutions except in exceptional cases, say MPs

The RSPCA should withdraw from acting as a prosecutor of first resort where there are statutory bodies with a duty to carry out this role, MPs on the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee have said. Chair of the Committee Neil Parish MP commented: “The RSPCA does important working investigating animal…

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UK pets at risk as two-thirds of owners unaware of welfare needs

Only one in three pet owners (35 percent) are familiar with their pet’s legal welfare needs, reveals a coalition of veterinary organisations ahead of the tenth anniversary of the landmark Animal Welfare Acts (8 November). Despite over half of UK households owning a pet, findings from the veterinary charity PDSA…

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UK pets at risk as two-thirds of owners unaware of welfare needs

Only one in three pet owners (35 percent) are familiar with their pet’s legal welfare needs, reveals a coalition of veterinary organisations ahead of the tenth anniversary of the landmark Animal Welfare Acts (8 November). Despite over half of UK households owning a pet, findings from the veterinary charity PDSA…

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