The Animal Welfare Act 2006
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (AWA 2006) is the primary legislation that governs this area of law.
Legislation
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal, whether domestic or wild and places a duty of care on owners and keepers to provide for the welfare needs of their animals. This includes providing access to food and water, preventing disease, providing appropriate accommodation, and allowing the animal the ability to express normal behaviour.
Duty of care
Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act places a duty of care on people to ensure they take reasonable steps in all the circumstances to meet the welfare needs of their animals to the extent required by good practice.
The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations (WATOK) 2015, states that all individuals and businesses involved in the slaughter of animals must take measures to minimise the suffering of animals during the slaughtering process, and a comprehensive framework for training, qualifications, and record-keeping to ensure compliance.
There are different agencies involved in the investigation and prosecution of animal welfare offences in the UK.
- The RSPCAare the primary agency responsible for investigating and prosecuting animal welfare offences involving individuals and domestic or wild animals.
- The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is responsible for investigating and prosecuting animal welfare offences relating to farmed animals and animals in science.
- The Food Standards Agency (FSA) monitor and enforce animal welfare compliance at approved slaughterhouses.
- The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecute (some) cases for the agencies referred to above.
