animal welfare act

[white logan]

before posting on this open forum about prescribed medication and giving each other advice over the internet perhaps you should all make yourselfs aware of this new law( animal welfare act 2007), the animal police (RSPCA) are i am informed watching to see what prosecutions can be gained .

forget about birds of prey for now , they will go for the easiest prosecutions first and people on here, however well meaning will be sought ,

 

giving out prescribed medication

 

unqualified diagnoses

 

causing an animal to suffer by not seeking proffesional help

these are just a few of the mutterings i have heard lately from a friend who is a vet

[LDS JOHNSON]

looks like there trying 2 get allsorts on the sport now

[gangster]

take note only last year through someone posting regularly sellin stuff pigeon chat was almost shut down  the owner answering the door to the law to remove his system for them 2 trace the poster....

[pjc]

Wouldn't be the same unemployed person with a good e-bay business selling belgium stuff would it?

[pjc]

some will do anything for a quick buck!

[gangster]

Wouldn't be the same unemployed person with a good e-bay business selling belgium stuff would it?

 

no the member is has recently sold up his birds..

[Guest peter.j]

i can believe the police can get you on this illegal matter but the rspca here is something i have just taken from a legal site

It would be hard to think of a charity that stirs more controversy than the RSPCA. Whole websites are dedicated to it, smarting with injustice, bristling fur balls of virtual rage. The webmasters are not frustrated badger-baiters, dog-eaters or seal-clubbers thirsting for blood. They are animal lovers in the full, mildly eccentric British tradition of enjoying the company of other species rather more than their own, and placing animal welfare at the top of the moral pyramid. But it’s “welfare†that is the problem. Welfarists believe they have a duty of care to wild, domestic and companion animals, which, crudely put, means treating them kindly. Against this school of thought stands the rights movement, which rejects human exploitation of animals in all its forms: as meat, pet, workhorse, laboratory tool, racer, fighter, public exhibit, performer or quarry in the hunt. It is towards this school of thought that the RSPCA, amid much well-publicised clamour, has shifted its ground. This places in the front line every cat- and dog-owner but especially pet shops, a point made clear by the RSPCA in a letter to local authorities in 1999. “The RSPCA,†it said bluntly, “is opposed to the sale of animals in pet shops.†It is this demonisation of the trade, and what critics regard as the harassment of individuals, that has done more than anything to widen the rift. Any allegation of cruelty by one person against another is likely to result in the appearance of a police lookalike demanding to inspect or even seize their animals. Widespread misunderstanding of the Animal Welfare Act means that many pet-owners do indeed believe RSPCA inspectors have the power to do this. It is a misapprehension that the organisation finds convenient and which it seems in no hurry to correct. As the spokesman said, “We would prefer you didn’t publish that.â€

 

It is a position that many might applaud. Legal nicety versus relief of animal suffering? It’s a no-brainer. But it’s not always as simple as that. Conflict arises because the police, who do have bona-fide powers of entry, have neither the resources nor the expertise to enforce the act. For this reason, says Chris Newman, chairman of the Federation of Companion Animal Societies, enforcement defaults to the RSPCA. “They impersonate police officers and commit trespass. People do believe they have powers of entry.â€

 

Nigel Weller, a solicitor based in Lewes who specialises in defending RSPCA prosecutions, puts it more strongly: “In every single case I’ve been involved in, they have abused their power.†Often, he says, the RSPCA ask police to attend, ostensibly to avoid a breach of the peace. “Then they argue it was a police officer, acting legally, who seized property, when in fact it was the RSPCA.†As RSPCA prosecutions are brought privately and do not require the sanction of the Crown Prosecution Service, this raises issues both of accountability and conflict of interest.

 

Sally Case, head of prosecutions, insists that RSPCA inspectors are trained specifically to make clear to pet-owners that they have no such right. They act without an owner’s permission, she says, “only if an animal is suffering in a dire emergency. If the court feels evidence has been wrongly obtained, it can refuse to admit itâ€.

 

And yet here as elsewhere, suspicion and misapprehension will persist. No process that involves humans is ever perfect. The conflicts between the rights of individuals and the rights of the state are exactly that: conflicts. They are conflicts in which, through sheer opacity and volume of law, the advantage more than ever tilts towards the state. But confusion is not a legitimate tool of governance, and Harry Snook is right to argue for clarity. Defence of your rights must begin with knowing what they are. Your home may not quite be a castle, but neither should it be a house of straw

 

Who can come in?

 

HM Revenue & Customs Can apply for warrant to search for contraband. If serious trafficking suspected, can enter without warrant. Can enter at a “reasonable time†to investigate any activity liable to Vat. Can enter to value property for inheritance tax. Fine for obstruction: £200.

 

Utility companies Electricity companies can inspect equipment, or remove or install a meter. May enter immediately in emergency. Must give two working days’ notice for removal of meter. Gas suppliers have similar rights. Fine for obstruction: £1,000. Water companies can enforce hosepipe ban. Must give 24 hours’ notice. Fine for obstruction: £200. Can also enter property to inspect system, check water quality and install or examine meter. Must give 24 hours’ notice. Fine for obstruction: £1,000.

 

Fire Brigade can force entry to fight fire. Fine for obstruction: £1,000.

 

Television licensing BBC or Ofcom officers can enter with warrant. Fine for obstruction: £5,000.

 

Seizure of property County courts can authorise seizure of property to settle unpaid debt. Bailiffs may be assisted by police. Tax inspectors can remove goods to value of unpaid tax. Landlords can enter without warrant to seize property in lieu of rent.

 

Dangerous dogs Police under warrant can enter and search.

 

Buildings and land Inspectors can check for compliance with regulations. Must give 24 hours’ notice and arrive at a “reasonable timeâ€. Fine for obstruction: £200. Fireplaces can be inspected in smoke-control areas. Seven days’ notice is required. Fine for obstruction: £1,000. Local authorities can enter and switch off continuously sounding burglar alarm. Compulsory Purchase Act 1965 allows officials to inspect property. Must give between three and 14 days’ notice. The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 also allows them to survey. Must give 14 days’ notice. Fine for obstruction: £1,000. Officials can inspect and order work to be done on trees. Local authorities can inspect high hedges. Must give 24 hours’ notice. Fine for obstruction: £1,000. Neighbours can come in to carry out maintenance of party wall. It must be during “reasonable hours†and they must give 14 days’ notice. Fine for obstruction: £1,000. Local authorities can inspect for rats and mice. Must give 24 hours’ notice. Fine for obstruction: £200.

 

Noise After warning notice, local authorities can enter to seize equipment at night. Fine for obstruction: £1,000.

 

Health Officials can test for notifiable diseases. Must give 24 hours’ notice. Fine for obstruction: £1,000

 

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[white logan]

we are entering into a police state , like it or not and the RSPCA want to become the animal police like their counterparts in america .

those scum who take money from old dears under false pretences assuring that felix domesticus will be looked after if they make a donation or leave their house to the protectionists ,......the animal police are watching

[Guest IB]

There have been repeated on-line warnings over the years about the law covering the offering of meds / medical advice; I think you will find it is a DEFRA department, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, that police it, and have done since around 2001. Think the last 'warning' was in the BHW at the beginning of this year, that VMD were monitoring Sales at Shows.

 

You are right about policing of Animal Welfare Act, though, it's mainly the RSPCA for domestic & companion animals.