Animal abusers could soon end up on a court-held list of offenders

Convicted animal abusers should have their names added to a court-held list of people found guilty of such crimes, the government is proposing.

Amendments to the Animal Welfare Act currently being debated in parliament propose creating a list of animal abuse culprits who will be prohibited from keeping animals for a period of time established by a court.

However, the proposed law makes no mention of the register being made public and instead says that it should be held by the court. 

Presented to parliament by Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo in October, the bill seeks to bolster existing legal safeguards for animals and grant authorities greater powers to investigate and prosecute crimes related to animal abuse.

Advanced warning for searches

Among the changes proposed is empowering the animal welfare directorate to carry out searches without any advanced notice when a “reasonable suspicion” of wrongdoing exists. Currently, suspects must be given at least 24 hours notice before searches are carried out.

“This has been counterproductive,” Refalo said in parliament on Wednesday, adding that the government is also proposing to allow the Animal Welfare Directorate to turn to...