Animal welfare rules need better enforcement, PN says

Animal protection laws have to be accompanied by continuous enforcement to be truly effective, Nationalist Party spokesperson Janice Chetcuti said.

She was commenting following the publication by government of draft regulations for pet sitters, groomers, dog breeders and boarding kennels.

The White Paper comes two years after the Animal Welfare Commissioner made recommendations for regulation of the industry.

Chetcuti welcomed the proposals and said the PN had long been calling for higher animal welfare standards. “The government has finally realised that what the PN has been calling for was a reflection of what NGOs in the sector had been saying,” she said.

Chetcuti added that the most important thing is to ensure that any new rules are accompanied with continuous enforcement.