Animal welfare bill forwarded to the parliament

Hinnavaru MP Mohamed Ibrahim today introduces a bill on animal welfare to the parliament.

The bill includes heavy penalties to facilitate sustainable and safe animal husbandry and trade. It also has clauses on animal health and the prevention of animal-borne diseases, as well as regulations to be followed in the import, export, transit and sale of animals and animal products.

The bill also sets out standards for animal husbandry to facilitate safe management and breeding.

It also imposes heavy fines for violating this bill, if enacted into law. As such, a fine of MVR 5,000 - MVR 50,000 is set for injuring an animal or releasing a domesticted animal in public places.

Any unlawful import or export of animals will also have the penalty range, while illegal breeding and housing of animals, falsification of samples or violation of animal handling standards would have a heavier fine ranging from MVR 10,000 to MVR 100,000.

Additionally, a fine of MVR 10,000 will be imposed if an act is committed that could result in the spread of animal borne diseases.

According to the bill, the Ministry of Animal Welfare is the main body that would formulate policy and enforce the law. Although it was previously required to obtain permits from the Defence Ministry to import dangerous animals into the country, the new bill transfers the responsibility to the Animal Welfare Ministry.

A bill on animal health was also introduced in the previous 19th parliamentary session. However, the bill was not completed by the end of the session. The new bill has revised and increased the penalties compared to the first bill.