There's been a welcome, from the woman supervising Sussex Police, for proposed new laws to combat harm to livestock from loose dogs, among other plans for animal welfare.
The county's Police and Crime Commissioner said the new Kept Animals Bill came at a time when there's been an apparent rise in livestock worrying in Sussex.
Katy Bourne also pointed out the plans would give officers new ways of collecting evidence against dog owners who let their pets harm farmers' animals.
She said:
"Officers will also have enhanced powers of entry to premises to collect the evidence that is needed to bring successful prosecutions for livestock worrying."
According to the government, the Bill will raise animal welfare standards across five areas:
- Puppy smuggling: The Government will introduce new powers to tackle the unethical trade of puppy smuggling by reducing the number of pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) that can travel under pet travel rules. It will also include powers for the Government to bring in further restrictions on the movement of pets on welfare grounds, for example by increasing the minimum age of imported puppies and restricting the import of pregnant dogs and dogs with mutilations such as cropped ears and tails.
- Live exports: Live animals can endure excessively long journeys during export, causing distress and injury. EU rules prevented any changes to these journeys, but the UK Government is now free to pursue plans which would see a ban on the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening. Ministers claimed the UK will become the first European country to end this practice.
- Banning keeping primates as pets: Primates are highly intelligent animals with complex needs and require specialist care. The Government said it will introduce a ban on keeping them as pets, ensuring that all primates being kept privately in England are being kept at zoo-level standards and that those unable to meet the standards are phased out.
- Livestock worrying: The Bill will give new powers to the police to provide greater protection to livestock from dangerous and out of control dogs. The Bill will also extend this protection to other species such as llamas, ostriches and game birds.
- Zoos: The Zoo Licensing Act will be amended to improve zoo regulations and ensure that zoos are doing more to contribute to conservation.
PCC Bourne added:
"Following a spate of incidents where dogs have attacked or distressed sheep, I’m sure that rural communities in Sussex will welcome these new measures.
"Our Rural Crime Team will be able to seize and remove dogs who pose a risk to livestock or have already been involved in serious incidents."
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