Create a public register of people banned from keeping animals in the UK

Bans on keeping animals are hard to enforce as currently no national register exists. This petition argues that a national register on a government website should be created listing all individuals who have been convicted of animal cruelty and have been banned from keeping animals.

We’re proud to have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, and we are fully committed to strengthening them further to ensure all animals avoid any unnecessary pain, distress or suffering.

For example, the Government fully supports increasing the maximum custodial sentences for animal cruelty offences from six months to five years. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill, sponsored by Chris Loder MP, completed Committee Stage in the House of Commons on 3 February. The Government will continue to support the Bill as it makes its way through Parliament.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 has powerful provisions that enable a court to disqualify anyone from having animals, if necessary, for life if they have been convicted of an offence under the Act. The length of disqualification is up to the court to decide based upon the individual circumstances of the case. Being disqualified from keeping animals can also include from having any influence over the way they are being kept. The courts also have the power to prohibit people on trial for animal welfare offences from acquiring new animals as a condition of bail, whilst the case is being considered.

Currently, all relevant information for prosecutions made for animal cruelty offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is stored on the Police National Computer (PNC). Information such as whether someone is disqualified from keeping animals is stored on the PNC. Certain organisations have access to this information, where appropriate to fulfil their public function. This allows us to securely protect this important information from misuse, but also for it to be available for organisations with a justified need to access this information. If anyone has any concerns that a person is keeping animals or having any influence over the way they are kept, while they are disqualified then they should report the matter to the police.

The Government does not consider that it would be appropriate to have a publicly accessible database of animal related criminal records. To have such a database would likely breach the General Data Protection Regulations which protects our personal data from getting into the wrong hands.

However, the Government will continue to keep the issue under review including whether certain bodies could have more access to the PNC.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs