Isle of Man pet welfare laws are still high priority, minister says

A previous animal welfare bill was rejected in April after being called "half-hearted"

Introducing new laws to strengthen protection for domestic pets on the Isle of Man "remains a high priority", a minister has said.

Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister Clare Barber said a new Animal Welfare Bill to prevent mistreatment would be brought forward in early 2022.

The laws would create a "duty of care for all kept animals", she said.

A previous bill was thrown out by politicians in April after being branded "half-hearted".

'Cats and dogs'

That bill was designed to allow the government to adopt aspects of UK animal welfare legislation, but was criticised for not going far enough.

Quizzing the minister in Tynwald, Jason Moorhouse MHK said politicians had taken a "huge risk" in rejecting the previous legislation, and asked for clarification of the areas the new laws would cover.

Ms Barber said the key areas would be "around animal welfare for companion animals", such as cats and dogs, "as this is not currently provided for on the Isle of Man".

The laws would also create a "duty of care for all kept animals", she said, adding: "Further secondary legislation will also be brought in with regards to the sale and care of companion animals early in the administration."