Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024

1 Prohibition of export of livestock for slaughter

(1) A person may not export relevant livestock from Great Britain for slaughter.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence.

(3) A person “exports” relevant livestock from Great Britain if—

(a)

(a) the person sends, or attempts to send, relevant livestock from Great Britain to anywhere outside the British Islands,

(b)

(b) the person transports, or attempts to transport, relevant livestock from or through Great Britain to anywhere outside the British Islands, or

(c)

(c) the person organises, or attempts to organise, the transport of relevant livestock from or through Great Britain to anywhere outside the British Islands.

(4) “Relevant livestock” means—

(a)

(a) cattle and other bovine animals,

(b)

(b) horses and other equine animals,

(c)

(c) sheep,

(d)

(d) goats, or

(e)

(e) pigs or wild boar.

(5) A person exports relevant livestock “for slaughter” if the person exporting the relevant livestock knows, or could reasonably be expected to know, that the relevant livestock is being exported—

(a)

(a) for the purpose of being slaughtered, or

(b)

(b) for the purpose of being fattened for slaughter.

(6) A person who commits an offence under subsection (2) is liable—

(a)

(a) on summary conviction in England and Wales, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding the maximum term for summary offences, to a fine or to both;

(b)

(b) on summary conviction in Scotland, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to both.

(7) In subsection (6)(a), “the maximum term for summary offences” means—

(a)

(a) if the offence is committed before the time when section 281(5) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 comes into force, 6 months;

(b)

(b) if the offence is committed after that time, 51 weeks.

2 Regulations about enforcement of section 1

(1) An appropriate national authority may by regulations make provision about the enforcement of section 1 (referred to in this Act as “enforcement regulations”).

(2) The provision that may be made by enforcement regulations includes any provision that the appropriate national authority considers appropriate for or in connection with—

(a)

(a) preventing, detecting, investigating or punishing contraventions of section 1(1), or

(b)

(b) other than in relation to Scotland, prosecuting offences under section 1(2).

(3) Enforcement regulations may (among other things)—

(a)

(a) confer a function (including a function involving the exercise of a discretion) on a person specified or described in the regulations;

(b)

(b) make provision about the keeping of records or the provision of information;

(c)

(c) confer a power of entry (whether or not on the authority of a warrant);

(d)

(d) confer a power of inspection, search, seizure or detention (whether or not on the authority of a warrant);

(e)

(e) authorise, or make provision for the authorisation of, the use of reasonable force in connection with a power mentioned in paragraph (c) or (d);

(f)

(f) confer a power to impose a civil sanction on a person who—

(g)

(g) make provision for the revocation of a person’s licence, authorisation or other approval required by or under any enactment for the transport of live animals, where the person—

(h)

(h) create a criminal offence in relation to—

(i)

(i) create a right of appeal;

(j)

(j) apply, or make provision corresponding to, any provision of, or which may be made under, the Animal Health Act 1981 relating to the execution or enforcement of that Act, with or without modifications;

(k)

(k) apply, or make provision corresponding to, any provision that may be made under section 12 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 or section 26 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 relating to the enforcement of provision made under the section concerned, with or without modifications.

(4) Where enforcement regulations confer a power to enter a private dwelling without the consent of the occupier, or with the use of reasonable force, they must provide for the power to be exercisable—

(a)

(a) in England and Wales, only on the authority of a warrant issued by a justice of the peace, or

(b)

(b) in Scotland, only on the authority of a warrant issued by a sheriff, summary sheriff or justice of the peace.

(5) Enforcement regulations may include provision for the imposition of a civil sanction whether or not—

(a)

(a) the conduct in respect of which the sanction is imposed constitutes an offence,

(b)

(b) the person imposing it is a regulator for the purposes of Part 3 of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008, or

(c)

(c) the appropriate national authority may make provision for the imposition of sanctions under that Part of that Act.

(6) Where enforcement regulations contain provision creating a criminal offence, the provision must have the effect that—

(a)

(a) the offence is triable summarily only, and

(b)

(b) the offence is punishable only with a fine.

3 Section 2: supplementary

(1) This section applies for the purposes of section 2.

(2) “Appropriate national authority”, in...