Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Sentencing Council guidelines for animal cruelty.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

When deciding what sentence to impose the courts are required to take into account the circumstances of the offence and the offender, including the culpability of the offender and the harm they caused. In setting a sentence, courts must follow any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council, unless it is not in the interests of justice to do so.

In July 2023, the Council issued a guideline on animal cruelty, which provides the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. It sets out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. This is available on its website at: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/animal-cruelty/.

As with all the guidelines it issues, the Council will monitor the operation of this guideline and will evaluate its effect after it has been in force for a period of time to allow sufficient evidence to be gathered and analysed.

The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increased the maximum sentences for these offences, making them triable either way and now carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and/or unlimited fine (an increase from six months).

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on immediate custody sentences for animal cruelty in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. This can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

The Government keeps the sentencing framework, including maximum penalties, under review.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of the use of custodial sentences for animal cruelty offences since the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 became law.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

When deciding what sentence to impose the courts are required to take into account the circumstances of the offence and the offender, including the culpability of the offender and the harm they caused. In setting a sentence, courts must follow any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council, unless it is not in the interests of justice to do so.

In July 2023, the Council issued a guideline on animal cruelty, which provides the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. It sets out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. This is available on its website at: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/animal-cruelty/.

As with all the guidelines it issues, the Council will monitor the operation of this guideline and will evaluate its effect after it has been in force for a period of time to allow sufficient evidence to be gathered and analysed.

The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increased the maximum sentences for these offences, making them triable either way and now carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and/or unlimited fine (an increase from six months).

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on immediate custody sentences for animal cruelty in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. This can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

The Government keeps the sentencing framework, including maximum penalties, under review.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle deliberate harm to wild birds and animals in rural areas.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals. The Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 makes it illegal to commit malicious acts against a wild mammal. Anyone who commits an offence under this legislation could face up to a six-month custodial sentence and/or an unlimited fine.

In addition, while the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 generally protects domesticated animals, it can extend to wildlife as it prohibits causing unnecessary suffering to wild animals under human control, for example when they are held in a hand. Under this Act, the maximum sentence for animal cruelty is five years.

Defra supports the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime. The NWCU undertakes analysis that highlights local or national threats and assists law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £530,000 for NWCU in the financial year 2026-2027.

Furthermore, this Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy includes a commitment to consider strengthening penalties for wider acts of cruelty to wildlife so they are consistent with penalties for cruelty to pets and livestock. It also makes clear that this Government will deliver on the manifesto commitment to ban the use of snare traps in England.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment has she made of the adequacy of penalties for those who have committed crimes related to wildlife.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Wildlife crime is unacceptable and significant sanctions are already available for judges to hand down to those convicted of such crimes. Anyone who commits an offence under existing legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 could face up to a six-month custodial sentence and/or an unlimited fine. Sentencing of those convicted of wildlife crimes remains a matter for judges, and these decisions are rightly taken independently of the Government.

In addition, while the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 protects animals that are commonly domesticated, it can extend to wildlife as it prohibits causing unnecessary suffering to wild animals under human control, for example when they are held in a hand or caught live in a trap. Under this Act the maximum sentence for animal cruelty is five years, which is equal to the highest penalty in the world for such crimes. In the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy published in December 2025, a commitment was made to review and look to strengthen penalties for cruelty against wildlife more generally so that a disparity is addressed and they are consistent with the higher levels of sentencing available for animal welfare offences against pets, livestock and wild animals when under human control.

We call on the Government to review the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act to introduce stricter mandatory minimum sentences for animal cruelty and abandonment. We also request the creation of a national database of offenders to prevent them from acquiring animals in the future.

Found: We call on the Government to review the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act to introduce stricter mandatory