APGOCATS Parliamentary Event 14th March 2023/ The Inclusion of cats in the proposed Pet Abduction offence.

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 APGOCATS Parliamentary Drop-in Event for MPs 14th March 2023


Hosted by APGOCATS at the start of  #PetTheftAwarenessWeek, we were delighted to be invited to attend this event with copies of our Cat Theft Report 2022 - The Summary. These were handed out to MPs who came along to pledge their support for family cats to be included, alongside dogs, in the proposed Pet Abduction Offence - one of many important animal welfare provisions covered in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. 

The secretariat of APGOCATS put together a briefing for the MPs and attendees of the event outlining the key issues.

AGPGOCATS LETTER
click to enlarge








TEMPLATE LETTER TO SEND TO YOUR MP


Please cut and paste the template letter and send it to your MP.
(Or feel free to personalise as you wish).

You can find your MPs email address here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

Dear …………………….. (MP name)

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO INCLUDE CATS!
    
As one of your constituents, I am writing to you regarding the Government’s Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill which is set to expire on 8th June 2023.
       
I understand that the options available to the Government are:
       
1. To let the Bill drop.
2. To table a further debatable carry over motion to extend this time or
3. To schedule a date for the Bill’s remaining stages before the 8th June and enable it to progress to the House of Lords.
 
To date there has been no announcement as to how, or even whether, the Bill will progress and time is running out. As of Monday, 20th March there were only 34 PARLIAMENTARY DAYS until 8th June.

This Bill is a major step in the improvement of animal welfare in this country with both cross-party support and the support of the public. It would be a travesty of justice were this Bill to be dropped after years of work by charities and other animal organisations, as well as MPs and ministers.

However, there is one important omission which needs to be urgently addressed: The theft of cats has not been included alongside dogs in the proposed Pet Abduction Offence within the Bill. (Pet Theft Awareness Cat Theft Report 2022 revealed the alarming statistic that cat theft had increased by 40% in 2021)

The Government is aware of the contents of Cat Theft Report 2022 and has commented that, 'this evidence has been taken into consideration'. In addition to providing evidence-based research from FOIs sent to all UK police forces, the report also points out that cat theft meets all the criteria set by the Government themselves for inclusion in the offence (Power to Extend Section 43). Since the intrinsic value of family cats as companions has now been recognised by the government following the introduction of compulsory microchipping of cats (due to come in to force 10th June 2024), the case for an amendment to be included is even stronger. I appreciate that there is provision within the Bill to extend the offence to include cats or other species via the Enabling Powers at some date in the future, but given all the evidence contained in the report and the cross-party and public support there is for their inclusion at the outset, it makes sense for this amendment to be made prior to the Bill being passed to the House of Lords.  

I am therefore asking you to write to DEFRA requesting:

1. that the theft of family cats is treated as pet abduction and included in the Bill alongside dogs and,
       
2. assurance that the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill will progress to the House of Lords as soon as possible.

Time is running out and I, like many others, are seeking answers before it is too late.

I trust that you will support my request and I look forward to DEFRA’s response.


Yours sincerely


(Name and address. Address must be provided to confirm you are a constituent)


APGOCATS Parliamentary Event 14th March 2023


Baroness Hayman of Ullock with Richard Jordan
 and Toni Clarke




Margaret Ferrier MP




The various organisations who attended this event








Greg Smith MP



MPs queueing to pledge support



Dr Neil Hudson MP and vet surgeon, with

Pet Theft Awareness's Richard Jordan.






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