Animal welfare
Animal cruelty
The ill treatment or neglect of animals, and cruelty to animals, is against the law. If you believe an animal is suffering cruelty or neglect use the following contacts to report your concerns.
To report:
- cruelty to domestic and companion animals, contact the RSPCA|
on 0300 1234 999; - cruelty to farmed animals, contact the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) on 0113 2796 121.
For advice on farmed animal Welfare contact Calderdale Council on 01422 392382.
Anyone who owns or is in charge of any animal has a duty under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 not to cause any unnecessary suffering to the animal by their act or failure. A person is committing an offence if they fail to take reasonable steps to ensure that the needs of an animal for which they are responsible are met.
For the purposes of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, an animal’s needs include:
- its need for a suitable environment,
- its need for a suitable diet,
- its need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns,
- any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals, and
- its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
