U.K. Increases Animal Cruelty Penalties

​www.gov.uk/government/news/maximum-prison-sentence-for-animal-cruelty-raised-to-five-years

Beginning this summer, the United Kingdom has increased penalties for convicted animal cruelty. The new penalties could include up to 5 years in prison and unlimited fines for the most extreme cases of animal cruelty. These will be some of the harshest penalties across Europe, paving the way for other countries to step up and make animal cruelty a crime deserving of appropriate punishment.

What Is Animal Cruelty?

Under the new rules, extreme cases of animal cruelty could include;

• Gross neglect of farm animals
• Dog fighting
• Abuse of puppies or kittens
• Illegal cropping of dog's ears

Animal cruelty is a serious crime, regardless of whether the courts agree. Anyone who can abuse, torture, injure, or neglect an animal, needs to be incarcerated. When you look at addiction for example, these are people who need to be rehabilitated, not incarcerated. Such is not the case with animal cruelty. I don't believe you can rehabilitate someone who enjoys beating or torturing animals. The only place someone like that belongs is behind bars, period. 

So where does the UK's animal cruelty punishments stack up against other countries on the globe?

COUNTRY

United Kingdom
​Canada
​Australia
​New Zealand 
Philippines
Germany
France
Ireland
Thailand 

MAX PENALTY

5 Years Jail / Unlimited Fines
​2 - 5 Years / $5 - 10, 000
Up to 7 Years / Over $200, 000
5 Years / Up to $100, 000
6 Months - 1 Year / Up to 30, 000 Pesos
Up to 3 Years OR Fines
2 Years / 30, 000 Euros
5 Years / 250, 000 Euros
2 Years / 40, 000 Baht

As you can see, the United Kingdom was simply catching up in some cases to other countries around the globe. What this information shows us is that animal cruelty is not viewed similarly across the globe and that fines / jail times vary widely depending on where you are across the globe. It should also be mentioned that despite jail time being a possibility, animal cruelty convictions simply don't get punished with jail time as often as they should. As I said, jail time is one of the only ways to send a clear message that animal cruelty is abhorrent, unacceptable, and deserving of time behind bars. Simply slapping fines on people is not enough and is the reason why animal cruelty continues at such a rampant pace across our planet.

The United Kingdom continues to make strides in animal welfare but as always, there is much work to do. Check out the original article at the top of this page for more information on the UK's changes to animal cruelty convictions.

HAPPY VEG