CAM - law, business and travel

• Richards Martins Act - prevent cruel and improper treatment of cattle (first legislation)


  1822
• Protection of animals act covered domestic and captive animals including farm animals - offence to cruelly beat kick illtreat etc animals, cause unnecessary suffering, animal fighting, poison, operation without qualifications, hunting captive animals (existed until 2007) has now been repealed and replaced with modern legislation


  1911
• Animals welfare act


  2006
• Current legislation protects animal welfare, public safety and environment. Reduces anti-social and irresponsible behaviour
• Animal Welfare Act (2006)


  Aims to promote the welfare of captive vertebrate animals. Does not apply to invertebrate species, wild animals, animals used in labs, foetal and embryonic animals.
• Responsibility for animals


  • Adults have legal responsibility for animals in their care for anyone under the age of 16. Under section 11, it is illegal to sell or transfer (including as a prize) an animal to anyone under the age of 16. In scotland it is illegal to give an animal as a prize to anyone of any age
• Unnecessary Suffering


  • Enables enforcement action to be taken where an animal is likely to undergo suffering in the future (previous legislation only protected animal after suffering had occurred)
• Mutilation


  • Procedures that interfere with sensitive tissue and bone structure of animals are prohibited - ear cropping (loophole by importing dogs from other countries where this is legal). May be permitted for medical treatment. Some procedures are listed as exempt for long-term welfare benefits, control of reproduction or identification purposes - dog dew claw removal, lamb castration, tail docking
• Docking of dogs tails


  • Removal of whole or any part of dog's tail, illegal to show in a public event, tail docking is permitted for medical care, certified working dogs less than 5 days old are exempt
• Duty of responsibility for animal to ensure welfare


  • Legal duty of care - need are met as requires by 'good practice' ie. the five animal needs (section 9) - suitable environment, suitable diet, ability to show normal behaviour, with or without animals based on social compatibility, protection from pain, suffering, injury. No clear minimums so have to look at other organisations for more guidance.
• Improvement notices


  • Animal welfare inspectors may issue improvement notices to owners failing to comply with section 9, specific steps to improve and a timeframe. Revisit during and after to see compliance.
• Penalties for people who are cruel to animals


  • Ban for owning animals for specific periods of time, fined up to £20,000, sent to prison for max of 5 years (originally 6 months)
• Control of Dogs Order (1992)


  • Dog collar Requirements - must wear a collar with owner address and name, does not apply to animals in sport, working or herding, dogs without collars and owner details may be treated as a stray. After 7 days they can either rehome or euthanize the dog.
• Microchipping (2015)


  • All dogs over 8 weeks must be microchipped, imported dogs must be microchipped in 30 days. Only implanted by vets or trained professionals, must have details recorded in an approved database. Owners responsibility to update it. (no legislation for cats, 10th june 2024 need to be microchipped by 20 weeks)
• Road traffic act (1988)


  • Dogs must be on a lead on designated roads, drivers that injure a dog must stop and give their name and address or report incident to police within 24 hours (no legal requirement for cats)
• Anti-social behaviour PSPO (2014)


  • Aim to reduce irresponsible dog ownership, dogs on short lead, dogs on lead, stop access to certain areas, dog fouling clean up, carry dog poop bag, limit number of dogs in an area
• Environmental protection act (1990)


  • Noise complaints can risk ownership, taking into consideration the volume, duration and time of noise. Could be considered a statutory nuisance, council can issue warnings or can remove dog from ownership
• Protection of livestock (1953)


  • Offence for dog to worry livestock (attacking, chasing, out of control), does not apply to police dogs, and other working dogs. FArmers are permitted to shoot dogs that are worrying livestock if the dog is not under control (ie. not with dog, or recalling dog and it not returning)
• Dangerous dog act (1991)


  • Applies to all dog breeds, aims to ensure dogs are kept under control and restrict dogs that pose serious risk of harm to the public. Banned breeds - Pit bull terrier, japanese tosa, dogo argentino, fila brasileiro, XL bully
• Dogs bred for fighting

  • Also referred to as breed-specific legislation (BSL) - it is against the law to own, sell, abandon, give away or breed any of banned breeds. Banned dogs can be seized and euthanized if considered a danger to the public. Determined by how the dog looks and not its pedigree. If the dog is not considered a danger, it may be placed in an exempt dogs with a number of conditions - short lead, muzzled, neutered
• Section 3 of Dangerous Dog Act


  • Offence for dog to be dangerously out of control (injury to person or guide dog, or worry of injury) Applies in both public and private property. Also applies to dogs attacking other animals if a person felt cause for worry. Does not apply to trespassers
• Dangerous wild animals act (1976)


  • Licence required for private individuals to keep dangerous animals, to eliminate harm of injury and animal welfare
• Animal welfare (kept animals) bill - introduced in 2022, dropped in may 2023, planned to strengthen welfare by tackling puppy smuggling, banning importation of dogs with cropped ears and docked tails, creating new pet abduction laws
• Animal welfare regulations 2018 (licensing of animals involving animals) updates a number of previous legislation. Aims to regulate commercial activities involving animals. This is to safeguard the health and welfare of animals also know and animal activities license (AAL)
• 5 activities covered by Animal welfare regulations 2018


  • Selling animals
  • Providing boarding
  • Hiring horses
  • Dog breeding
  • Keeping and training animals for exhibition
• Business test


  Does the individual seek to make profit from the activity or is the business undertaken for business purposes?
• General conditions


  • Provision of animals five needs, requires suitable record keeping staffing levels and emergency plan. States maximum number of animals.
• Selling pets


  • Any animals sold for profit, adverts must use recognisable photo as well as license number age of animal country of origin and country of residence. Prospective buyers must be provided with appropriate husbandry information, for dog sales, buyer must be present at time of purchase, it is prohibited to sell puppies, cats, ferrets or rabbits under 8 weeks.
• Boarding cats and dogs


  • Applies to any premises where cats and dogs are boarded to make profit. Applies to cats, kennels, home and day care boarding. Provides details on record keeping, design of kennels, provision of enrichment (link on reference page for further detail). Does not apply to rehoming centres.
• Hiring out horses


  • Riding, lessons. License holder must have formal qualifications or deminstratable experience, must have public liability insurance, workload of each horse must be recorded. Cant use horses under 3
• Breeding (dogs only)


  • Applies to breeding 3+ litters in any 12 month period. Does not apply to f=breeding assistance dogs or if none of litters are being sold. Bitches cannot be mated if younger than 12 months or had two litters delivered by c section. Limited to one litter per bitch per 12 month period. Maximum of 6 litters per bitch.
• Animals on exhibition


  • Includes for education and entertainment, applies to audiences in person as well as any visual images, excludes the military, police, animals used for sport, travelling circus and animals under zoo license, film or media. Must have public liability insurance.
• Period of license


  • Depends on star rating (given on the basis of inspection depending on risks and animal welfare standards, 1-5, 1 being low and 5 being high) Star rating determines length of license, higher rating = longer license
• Lucys Law (2020) - can no longer sell puppies or kittens via third party. Aimed to prevent import of puppies and use of puppy mills
• Animal welfare establishments (AWE)


  • In england do not require licensing, in 2021 scotland became the first to require licensing - animal rehoming activities, animal welfare establishments
• Veterinary Practice Premises


  • Do not require license for boarding animals, registered by RCVS, premises inspected by VMD. Inspections more about storage of drugs.
• RCVS


  Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• VMD


  Veterinary Medicines Directorate
• Inspections of veterinary premises are more about storage of drugs
• Protection of animals (anaesthetics)


  • Operations involving interference of sensitive tissues or bone require anaesthetic