Animal Protection Act

Alberta a new leader in animal protection legislation - Every animal deserves good care

Mar 13/06 Agri-News ... The province's laws on animal protection have recently been amended. As of January 3, 2006, new rules under the Animal Protection Amendment Act are in place to make it clear that all animals in this province deserve good care. This includes all livestock, pets and wildlife. The law protects those who follow generally accepted practices of animal husbandry, hunting, fishing and slaughter. Additionally the law now protects anyone who reports, based on reasonable grounds, animals in distress.

The amendments in the act reinforce Alberta's position as a leader in animal protection They were created through consultations with Alberta's livestock industries, humane societies throughout the province, municipalities and others. In March 2004, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development appointed a government steering committee to make recommendations for proposed changes. The legal changes were led through the Alberta Legislature by Tony Abbott, MLA for Drayton Valley-Calmar.

Barb Shackel-Hardman, head, environmental practices and livestock welfare, Alberta Agriculture, Edmonton, credits the role of stakeholders in the amendment process. "The input from the consultations were key to strengthening the act," she says. "The commitment of the industry, animal protection agencies and municipalities to ensure Alberta has the highest standard of animal care is the reason why we have such a solid approach for protecting animals."

Key changes include further clarification of situations that can cause distress to animals such as depriving them of adequate space, ventilation, veterinary care or depriving them of reasonable protection from injurious heat or cold.

"As the agency delegated by the province's livestock industry to promote high standards of animal care, we were pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the review process to strengthen animal welfare rules," says Susan Church, manager, Alberta Farm Animal Care Association, Calgary. "We fully support the changes."

Other areas of the law that have changed include the following:

• Peace officers will now have authority to take action to protect animals sooner; for example, in situations where animals have been abandoned. Previously, taking action was dependent on the animals being in distress.
  
• The amended act further emphasizes that animal owners or persons in charge are responsible for ensuring the animals are properly cared for, and that failure to do so allows officers to take action to correct the situation.
  
• Previously, animals in distress that were seized had to be returned to the owner if the person reimbursed the cost of seizure. Under the new amendments, the owner is additionally required to demonstrate that corrective actions have been taken to ensure the animals will receive adequate care.
  

Morris Airey, the Alberta SPCA's director of enforcement, is pleased with the amendments: "The changes will fill in some of the gaps in pre-existing legislation and allow us a more proactive role. We can now act before the animals have to suffer."

Contact:
John Church
Leader, livestock welfare unit
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
(780) 644-1207