New animal protection legislation on spring legislative agenda

A new Animal Health and Protection Act will be introduced into the Newfoundland & Labrador House of Assembly during the spring session.
"We have been reviewing our existing six live animal statutes and consulting with special interest groups on the consolidation of these acts into a new, modern and tougher Animal Health and Protection Act," said Natural Resources Minister Kathy Dunderdale. "We are now ready to bring forward an all encompassing piece of legislation for debate that will address concerns and issues raised over cruelty to animals in this province and stiffer penalties for such behavior."
The six acts being consolidated into one are: the Animal Protection Act, Dog Act, Heritage Animals Act, Livestock Act, Livestock Health Act and Poultry and Poultry Products Act. Most of this legislation was enacted in the 1970s and has not been significantly updated. The new Animal Health and Protection Act will address the definition of animal cruelty and appropriate penalties, enforcement and animal control activities.
"Our comprehensive consultation process helped determine the areas in which improvements are required," Dunderdale said. "What we heard reaffirmed the importance of consolidating the current legislation into one comprehensive act, and placing greater emphasis on increased penalties around animal cruelty."