Animal Welfare: Prosecutions

(asked on 14th March 2025) - View Source
Questioner
Steve Darling Portrait
Steve Darling
(Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defendants were (a) prosecuted and (b) found guilty of offences under each relevant section of (i) the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, (ii) the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, (iii) the Deer Act 1991, (iv) the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and (v) the Hunting Act 2004 in each year since 2019.

Answered by
Nicholas Dakin Portrait
Nicholas Dakin
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
This question was answered on 24th March 2025

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions and convictions offences under i) the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, (ii) the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, (iii) the Deer Act 1991, (iv) the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and (v) the Hunting Act 2004 at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

The specific offences requested are listed below:

  • 10822 - Offences under Protection of Badgers Act 1992

  • 09948 - Areas of special scientific interest (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981)

  • 10823 - Offences under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - e.g. certain wild animals (schedule 5) may not be killed, injured or taken by any method

  • 10824 - Offences under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - e.g. wild certain animals (schedule 6) may not be killed or taken by certain methods

  • 19001 - Summary offences in relation to birds under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

  • 19002 - Summary offences in relation to nests and eggs of birds under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

  • 19004 - Summary offences in relation to nests and eggs of birds under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

  • 19006 - Prohibition of certain methods of killing or taking wild birds (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981)

  • 19007 - Offences under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

  • 19009 - Offences under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

  • 12111 - Summary offences under the Deer Act 1991 - e.g. taking, injuring or killing deer

  • 10825 - Offences under Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996

  • 12113 - Hunting a wild mammal with dogs - Hunting Act 2004

  • 12114 - Knowingly permit land to be entered / used for hunting a wild mammal with dogs - Hunting Act 2004

  • 12115 - Knowingly permit dog to be used for hunting a wild mammal - Hunting Act 2004

  • 12116 - Participate in a hare coursing event

  • 12117 - Attend a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004

  • 12118 - Knowingly facilitate a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004

  • 12119 - Permit land to be used for the purposes of a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004

  • 12120 - Enter dog in a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004

  • 12120 - Permit dog to be entered in hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004

  • 12120 - Control / handle dog in the course of / for the purposes of a hare coursing event - Hunting Act 2004

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