£5,000 fines on the cards for horse welfare offences

The introduction of £5,000 penalty notices for animal welfare offences has been welcomed – but their effectiveness depends on enforcement, and they could be “open to misuse”.

The secondary legislation, under the Animals (Penalty Notices) Act, came into force last month. It allows local authorities to issue fines of up to £5,000 for offences such as keeping animals in “poor living conditions”.