Restraining ban for animal executioners

The worst animal executioners will not be allowed to keep animals for a maximum of twenty years. That is what the cabinet wants in response to an adopted motion of the Party for the Animals and the PVV. Currently, judges can only impose a 'restraining prohibition' that expires automatically if animal executioners have paid their fine or served their sentence.

The discussion flared up again last year when the judge decided that a man who had horribly abused his dog and buried his dog alive could purchase a new dog after three years of probation. “As far as the Party for the Animals is concerned, this is a typical example of what is wrong with the current law. Although a judge would like to, he cannot impose a restraining ban as an independent sentence at the moment, because the law does not allow this to be done. A maximum restraining ban of twenty years means that someone is not allowed to keep a pet or other animals all this time. This can prevent a lot of animal suffering,” says Wassenberg. In addition, the Party for the Animals wants supervision to be improved, so that perpetrators are caught quickly.

Since its inception, the Party for the Animals has been calling for a lifelong restraining ban for people who have repeatedly shown that they cannot handle animals properly. “A restraining ban of up to twenty years is a major step in the right direction,” says Frank Wassenberg, Member of the Party for the Animals. Last year, he proposed to amend the new Act on Animal Cruelty in such a way that people who repeatedly go wrong can be imposed a lifelong restraining ban. “The cabinet has now decided to make this at least 20 years, which is fantastic news. This way judges can protect animals better against large animal executioners. Of course, we continue to advocate a lifelong restraining ban for the worst cases.” #animalwelfare #animalexecutioners #pvdd #animalabuse