The Scottish Government has strengthened its Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 by introducing several new measures, including upping the maximum prison sentence for the most serious animal welfare crimes from one to five years.
The Government has also introduced an unlimited fine and raised the maximum penalties for some wildlife offenses. In addition, it will enforce ‘Finn’s Law’ — which is already being implemented in England and Wales — to toughen protection for service animals.
The changes were announced in the country’s Programme for Government, which states: “The Bill will also provide powers to make regulations for fixed penalty notices in relation to animal welfare offenses and provides a new process to allow animals that have been taken into possession on welfare grounds to be sold or rehomed without the need for a court order.” This aims to decrease the time that animals involved in lengthy court cases will have to wait to find new homes.
The Government says it is continuing work to protect the welfare of animals in Scotland and is recruiting members to its interim Scottish Animal Welfare Commission to provide advice on the welfare of sentient animals. It is also planning to launch a media campaign to put an end to the barbaric and cruel puppy farming trade.
“The positives this will bring to animal welfare in Scotland are genuinely transformational. From the thousands of court cases we’ve been involved in, its evident sentencing is wildly inconsistent,” says Mike Flynn, chief superintendent of the Scottish SPCA, which welcomes the move. “A number of Sheriffs have recently stated that they thought their current powers were inadequate. It’s clear that the courts would benefit from the ability to hand down lengthier custodial sentences to protect animals and deter other people from acts of mistreatment.”
“For years, we have worked hard to reform animal welfare legislation with MSPs and Government officials,” adds Scottish SPCA chief executive, Kirsteen Campbell. “Credit must go to the Scottish Government for identifying the need for reform, taking on board both the invaluable expertise of the Scottish SPCA and our partners and the overwhelming public support for this and acting on it.”
What’s New…
ONLY FIVE YEARS THATS NOT ENOUGH OF TIME WHEN WILL THERE EVER BE JUSTICE FOR THE INNOCENT ANIMALS!
Come on ENGLAND, get your act together and follow suit. All we keep getting are promises but NO ACTION. Shame on our pathetic, useless government.
Love the Scots.
It should be required by law in every state and country no mistreat or abuse animals .
Thank you Michigan and Scotland. You are my heroes!
I just fell in love with Michigan.
Thank you.
What gives humans the right to be cruel to animals?
It should keep increasing . Abuse an animal , Gi To Jail!!!
Ban them from owning animals , too.
This is good news, thank you!
Please help stop these horrible murders. Dogs are companions. They love and feel pain. Humans should take care of them, not eat them. Find another vegetarian food source.
For people who do things like this are not human
Too cruelty must stop please
So happy to hear that, I hope all other countries follow suit and stop this epidemic of cruelty.
Thank you for saving all these animals from Horrible abuse !!!!!
animal abusers MUST GET LIFE IN PRISON & PAY HEFTY FINES THAT GO TO ANIMAL PROTECTION.
This should be the lowest penalty. Death penalty should be included in some cases.
Well done, Scotland, Michigan, California, Arizona and the EPA! This is great news for animals and for humans who have worked so hard. Excellent! Thank you all so much
THE WORLD NEEDS TO BE MORE ANIMAL FRIENDLY…STOP THE ABUSES & STOP ANIMAL ENTERTAINMENT. PEOPLE, DO NOT PATRONIZE ANY ANIMAL SHOW!
Thank you to everyone who participated in working towards this transformational reform.
Thank you, People & Government of Scotland, for stepping up to protect all of God’s creatures!!! Together we can make sure that all animals are protected from all harm.
END ANIMAL ABUSE AND CRUELTY ONCE AND FOR ALL
We need these same laws in Canada and the USA – if Scotland can get on board with a positive solution we need to all be following in those step foots. The abuse to animals has to stop – humans are so incredibly abusive and act out such aggression on animals. Let these bastards spend 5 years in jail hopefully with cell mates that really like animals!!!
we need to do this in America, our animal cruelty laws are laughable
Agree.
Being a proud Scot and animal lover this is heartening news.
Why can’t we have a policy like this ??
It’s a start. Let’s us hope it will get better soon.
Thank you, Scotland for having clearheaded determination to do what is right for animals.
Thank you for doing this but the severity needs to be even stronger – if an animal dies do to abuse the person or persons that caused death should spend the entirety of there life in a testing laboratory- they should not entitled to ever walk free again – a life is a life no matter what form of life it is animal or human !
This is great news
Scotland – I am sooooooo very proud of you! xxxx
Thank you Scotland please push for 8 years thank you
Thank you for your beautiful heart Scotland.
This is good to no it’s not nice seeing it well done
these types of laws are an answer to my many, many prayers. I wish, tho, that it wasn’t always all about dogs. people are cruel to cats. cats are abused in mills and slaughtered for meat. they are more likely to be pitched out of their homes and less likely to be picked up and cared for by animal shelters.
Well done Scotland!!
It seems that the world is getting the message that animals are intelligent sentient beings like we are. They have feelings and emotions and intelligence. They can feel terror and fear and pain. And they also can feel compassion and empathy and understanding. We need to view them as such. I’m heartened that Animal Cruelty and Murder is being vigorously prosecuted in many cases. Sentencing is a lot stricter.
Well Done, Scotland! Five years Prison. That’s the ticket!!
Oh really and are actually going to carry this through I won’t hold my breath. However if they do good on them and why not hit them where it really hurts their POCKETS
Wonderful! I believe that the world is beginning to get the message about Animal Cruelty. It’s being prosecuted more rigorously and the sentencing is a lot stricter.
We have to view animals as intelligent sensitive and sentient beings like we are. They experience emotions, pain, terror,fear, and they give love and compassion.
I’m heartened that people are getting that !
this is good news for a change for animals… Now if the rest of the world will fall into line…
Next to do is reform how animals for food are treated….. these are even more horrific than most can amagine….
I try to tell people that and I always get… well, God gave us animals for our use… or they complain about the climate problem while they eat a cheeseburger. you can’t even convince them with statistics about factory farm pollution. nothing gets thru to some people. they complain about cats getting thrown out and hunting but eat turkey and chicken, never considering that those are birds, too. they are worse than talking to a brick wall.
GOOD JUST HOPE REST OF UK FOLLOW SUIT