Blog: As champions of animal welfare, I urge zoos and aquariums to support Penalty Notices

MP Andrew Rosindell writes for BIAZA about his efforts to introduce laws that back animal welfare and urges zoos and aquariums to support him

Society is rightly judged by how it treats the animals in its care. No one will appreciate this more than BIAZA and the zoos and aquariums within its remit. We are hugely fortunate in this country to have a world-leading network of zoos and aquariums so dedicated to educating, conserving and caring for some of the magnificent wildlife which our planet is blessed with.

Under our current government, the country has made enormous strides in animal health and welfare. In May, Her Majesty’s Government provided time and support for Chris Loder M.P.’s enormously important Bill to increase maximum sentencing for offences to five years. This means that the worst offences will be disincentivised and the worst offenders will get the justice they, and the animals they abused or mistreated, deserve. 

Not all animal health and welfare offences warrant a custodial sentence, however. As an alternative, enforcement agencies are largely limited to using warnings or improvement notices in an effort to change behaviour.

This leaves a significant enforcement gap. There exists a wide range of animal welfare and health offences which demand more than simply a strongly worded letter, but where a criminal prosecution would be too severe.

That’s why I am proud to have tabled a Private Member’s Bill which will provide enforcement agencies and prosecutors another vital weapon in their armoury to deal with those guilty of such offences.

Under my Bill, enforcement agencies – such as local authorities or the police – will be able to hand out Penalty Notices of fines between £100 and £5,000 for animal welfare and health offences. Any fines issued would be reduced by 50% in the event of an early payment, within 14 days of the fine being issued. Enforcers would need to take into account mitigating or aggravating circumstances when issuing fines. 

Critically, where a £5,000 fine would be an insufficient sanction, enforcers can instead pursue criminal prosecution, with a potentially unlimited fine. 

As one of the first opportunities to reform animal health and welfare outside of the EU, this Bill allows us to demonstrate our continued position as a world leader in animal health and welfare standards. This Bill will create consistency and fairness for animals, animal keepers and enforcers, whether that is for dangerous dogs; livestock transported in poor conditions; or overstocked poultry. 

As Animal Welfare Minister Lord Zac Goldsmith said of my Bill: "these new fines will build on our actions to improve our already world-leading animal welfare standards.”

No organisations better understand the importance of animal welfare than our wonderful zoos and aquariums. As the Chairman of the Zoos and Aquariums APPG, I have consistently seen the role that our fantastic zoos have to play in teaching us all to respect and treat the animal world well.  

Zoos and aquariums have been at the very forefront of improvements in animal welfare and I am delighted BIAZA has played such a leading role in the Government’s new Action Plan for Animal Welfare including the calls for ending the keeping of primates as pets.

I have always been a champion for the very highest standards of animal welfare and conservation which are consistently demonstrated by good zoos. 

Alongside the enormous contributions made by private organisations, however, it is vital to ensure that government puts in place clear, unambiguous rules surrounding the treatment of animals and a system of firm but fair punishments where offences are committed.  

As champions of animal welfare and conservation, I therefore urge our zoos and aquariums community in the U.K. to get behind my Bill, to ensure that it has as wide as possible support, from all sectors of society and all organisations dealing with animals – whether they be farm animals, zoo animals, or companion animals in the home.

By Andrew Rosindell M.P. 

Andrew is the Conservative M.P. for Romford and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Zoos and Aquariums

Click here to find out more about Andrew's Private Members Bill