The UK recently launched the second Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill to protect pets, farmed and kept wild animals. There are five key areas raised in the Bill to improve animal welfare standards:

1. Puppy smuggling - The number of pets that can travel under pet travel rules will be reduced in order to tackle the unethical trade of puppy smuggling. There will also be more restrictions on the movement of pets on welfare grounds, such as increasing the minimum age of imported puppies and not allowing pregnant dogs and dogs with mutilations (eg. cropped ears and tails) to be imported into the country.

2. Live exports - The export of live animals for slaughter and fattening may be banned, since excessively long journeys during export may cause distress and injury.

3. Banning keeping primates as pets - Primates are intelligent and sociable mammals that include lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys and apes. Since they are highly intelligent animals with complex needs and require specialist care, there will be a ban implemented on keeping them as pets. They will only be allowed to be kept privately at zoo-level standards.

4. Livestock worrying - Police will be given new powers to provide greater protection to livestock, llamas, ostriches and game birds from dangerous and out of control dogs.

5. Zoos - In order to improve zoo regulations and ensure zoos are working hard to contribute to conservation, the Zoo Licensing Act will be amended.

The measures on primates aim to prevent these animals being kept as pets. Where primates are kept in captivity, the Bill would introduce new licensing requirements to ensure that their welfare needs are being met.

Under the Bill, police will have new powers to provide greater protection to livestock from dangerous and out of control dogs. Additional species, such as llamas, ostriches and game birds, will also be given protection.

The Bill includes proposals to ban the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening. However, the measures would not cover poultry.

Under the Bill, restrictions on the number of pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) imported on a non-commercial basis would be implemented. The Bill includes further restrictions on importing animals that are pregnant, under a certain age, or which have undergone mutilations such as cropped ears and tails.

The Bill would amend the Zoo Licensing Act with the aim of improving zoo regulations and trying to ensure that zoos are doing more to contribute to conservation.

The Bill also includes powers to amend or revoke retained direct EU legislation.

This Bill was debated at second reading on Monday 25 October 2021 and has now been sent to a Public Bill Committee which will scrutinise the Bill line by line and is expected to report to the House by Thursday 18 November 2021.

Courtesy of Angus Chiu

Main Source: Gov.uk