Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to implement Section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Causing an animal fight to take place, or attempting to do so, is an offence under section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which would normally be enforced by the Police or the RSPCA. It is also an offence to be present at an animal fight without reasonable excuse or lawful authority.

The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increases the maximum sentence for such offences from six months to five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. This strengthened penalty sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and will enable our courts to take a firm approach to cases such as animal fighting.

The Online Safety Act 2023 also requires social media firms to remove online content of animal welfare abuse such as animal fights.