Debate contribution: Register of Animal Welfare Offenders

Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on 22 October 2024.

MLA

Mr Robbie Butler

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

22 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Register of Animal Welfare Offenders

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4608268

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the Members who tabled the motion. I support the motion, which seeks to address the scourge of animal cruelty in Northern Ireland. As a society that often describes itself as animal-loving, we should hold ourselves to the highest account in how we treat the most defenceless amongst us, which includes animals, who rely on us for care and protection. The figures provided by the Department of Justice, which are mentioned in the motion, are alarming, showing:

"between 2018 and 2022, only 12% of convictions for animal welfare offences ... resulted in a custodial sentence".

That is simply unacceptable. When individuals commit acts of cruelty or violence against animals or neglect them, they must face meaningful consequences that prevent them from reoffending and deter others from committing similar crimes. I cannot even bring myself to read into the record some of the disgusting instances of animal battery and neglect that I read of in the research papers and the papers supplied by the USPCA. As we have seen, despite that, current bans on keeping animals have proven to be ineffective. High-profile cases, such as those that Members will, I am sure, have read about, show that convicted individuals can slip through the cracks, which can have devastating consequences for the animals. The truth is that cruelty often begins behind closed doors, but it does not stop there. Those are the same doors behind which the cases that we hear about occur: cases of kittens or pups being cruelly drowned, suffocated in bags or starved to death when they are not fit for the purpose that people want them for. Those horrific practices still occur and need to be rooted out. The USPCA, along with many other stakeholders, has put forward a series of vital, practical proposals that could strengthen our animal welfare laws. The Assembly should listen carefully to those who are on the front line of animal protection. I echo the calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to take decisive action and adopt those recommendations. We have had some discussions about that, and I know that the Minister is committed to engaging on animal welfare issues. I will read through a few of the recommendations, if that is OK, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. The first is on the register of banned offenders that has been called for. We must establish a publicly accessible register of those who have been convicted of animal abuse. Whilst GDPR may limit those who can access the register, it should not prevent its creation. We can work out in the Chamber how best to ensure that that information serves the purpose for which the register would be established. The second recommendation is to amend the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, extending the bans to include those who live with convicted offenders. It is crucial to consider that recommendation. I get that it is a difficult subject, but it is one that we need to discuss, because we have heard of cases where individuals who were banned from owning animals simply moved into households, or already lived in households, where pets were present. That undermines the intent of the ban. That is what I call a loophole, in that it is incongruous. Another recommendation is for regular inspections: council animal welfare officers should be required to conduct quarterly inspections of individuals banned from owning animals. That measure would provide an ongoing safeguard against further abuses and ensure compliance with disqualification orders. As we heard, there is a shortage of those officers, unfortunately, so there may be a workforce issue, as there is across most of the public sector today. The fourth recommendation is to promote community reporting. A public campaign could and should be launched to empower communities to report suspected cases of animal cruelty. If we are, indeed, a nation of animal lovers, I do not think that it will be too difficult to get people to reach out, because early intervention can help to save lives and end suffering, and greater awareness will help to shine a light on those heinous acts. The fifth recommendation is on annual reports. The publication of annual reports detailing disqualification orders and compliance rates would bring much-needed transparency and accountability to the enforcement of the law. As we know, measuring effectiveness is the only way to achieve and improve compliance rates. We cannot allow convicted abusers to return to environments where they can harm animals, nor can we permit any leniency that devalues the life and well-being of animals in Northern Ireland. The motion and the USPCA's proposals are a step forward in ensuring that justice is served and that we prevent further suffering. Let us not forget that every time we fail to act on this issue, innocent animals will pay the price.

804 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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