The RSPCA has a long history of bringing private prosecutions, particularly on the companion animal welfare side. I know that there has also been talk about stopping the RSPCA’s private prosecution altogether too. Has the RSPCA ever brought private prosecutions against the mistreatment of farm animals? Would it consider doing so for an issue like where poultry catching teams clearly break the Animal Welfare Act 2006 when trapping heads/wings in the transport modules by not taking due care? These are cases where APHA/Local Authorities typically don’t act and an RSPCA private prosecution could play a powerful role.
As part of our new strategy, we are exploring transferring our prosecutions role to the CPS. APHA undertakes prosecutions for farmed animals. This is to ensure we avoid any possible conflict of interest with our farm assurance scheme. More information on the changes we want to make to our prosecution role is here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/strategy/prosecution
The RSPCA has a long history of bringing private prosecutions, particularly on the companion animal welfare side. I know that there has also been talk about stopping the RSPCA’s private prosecution altogether too. Has the RSPCA ever brought private prosecutions against the mistreatment of farm animals? Would it consider doing so for an issue like where poultry catching teams clearly break the Animal Welfare Act 2006 when trapping heads/wings in the transport modules by not taking due care? These are cases where APHA/Local Authorities typically don’t act and an RSPCA private prosecution could play a powerful role.
As part of our new strategy, we are exploring transferring our prosecutions role to the CPS. APHA undertakes prosecutions for farmed animals. This is to ensure we avoid any possible conflict of interest with our farm assurance scheme. More information on the changes we want to make to our prosecution role is here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/strategy/prosecution