Proposed Changes to Animal Welfare Legislation in Northern Ireland

The intention of new proposed animal welfare legislation in Northern Ireland is to update existing legislation, which is now more than 30 years old and to introduce new powers and penalties to deal with new types of offences. The proposed legislation will also seek to address a perceived gap in the protection given between farmed and non-farmed animals.  The legislation will also seek to extend law in certain important respects, most notably by introducing a new duty for owners and keepers of all vertebrate animals to take reasonable steps to ensure the welfare of the animals in their care.