The biggest shake-up for decades of the laws affecting wildlife and the countryside for decades will mean longer jail terms for the most serious animal welfare offences, if the changes are approved by MPs.
But the number of ‘crimes’ involving wildlife should come down, with regulation and guidance taking the place of sanctions under criminal law, a draft bill published today recommends.
The penalty for the most serious wildlife crimes will be extended, if the bill becomes law, from six months to two years, under plans to hugely simply legislation affecting the countryside.
The Law Commission – the body that reviews legislation in the UK – has been examining all UK wildlife law on behalf of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since 2012.
Source: Western Morning News
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