Welfare law update welcomed
FARMER LEADERS in Scotland have welcomed plans to update animal welfare legislation in Scotland.
Ross Finnie, rural development minister, published proposals on Monday (May 16) that will protect livestock by placing a duty of care on all owners to care for their animals properly.
The draft Animal Health and Welfare Bill also contains provisions to help protect the country against any future disease crisis, and to enable swift action to tackle disease in the event of any outbreak.
As well as introducing the legal duty of care on animal keepers, the draft Bill will also allow the authorities to remove animals before they start to suffer.
“I want animal suffering to be a thing of the past in Scotland,” said Mr Finnie.
“This draft Bill will put in place measures to help this happen. Introducing a duty of care means animal keepers are legally obliged to look after their animals properly and ensure they do not suffer.”
“When people do not comply with this we will be able to remove the animal before it starts to suffer,” he said.
The draft Bill also proposes that Scottish ministers should have the power to introduce compulsory biosecurity measures, particularly in the face of a national disease outbreak.
And, in a bid to reduce the possibility of disease spread, the draft Bill also proposes that any “animal gatherings” will have to be licensed.
That would include livestock markets and shows.
Dealers would also have to be licensed.
NFU Scotland particularly welcomed the proposal to place a duty of care on all animal keepers.
Nigel Miller, chairman of the union’s livestock committee, said: “We are pleased that the draft Bill will cover all animals, not just those kept on commercial farms.”
“This is an important opportunity to update animal welfare legislation that is nearly a century old. It will help Scottish farming build on its reputation for the highest standards of animal health and welfare.”