I recently joined with a number of fellow MSP’s and campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament to support Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s campaign calling for five year sentences for animal cruelty offences in Scotland.
There is no place for animal cruelty in Scotland. This is why I have regularly stood up against it. I have campaigned against fox hunting, snaring, the culling of mountain hares, the import of hunting trophies and I did not support the government in reintroducing tail shortening for dogs.
Battersea recently published a new report ‘Sentencing for animal cruelty in Scotland’ which surveyed around 100 jurisdictions across the UK, Europe, USA and elsewhere. The survey showed that Scotland’s animal cruelty sentence is one of the most lenient in Europe and across the world. As such, I am happy to support the campaign to raise the maximum sentence for animal cruelty offences in Scotland.
I welcome the fact that the Scottish Government have announced in their 2017-2018 Programme for Government that they seek to increase the maximum custodial sentence for animal cruelty to five years imprisonment.
For more information about Battersea’s campaign or report, please visit www.notfunny.battersea.org.uk
