West Dorset MP Chris Loder has successfully changed the law with his Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021.

Mr Loder's Bill, which was signed into law by Her Majesty the Queen yesterday (Thursday), increases the maximum penalty for certain offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 tenfold, from six months to up to five years. The new law will come into force in two months.

He said: "Those who are cruel to animals can now be sent to prison for five years.

"It has taken months, if not years, of hard work to realise this and I'm delighted that Her Majesty the Queen has signed my Bill into law.

"We are renowned as a nation of animal lovers and I believe that Britain can now take the lead on global standards for animal welfare."

The MP has steered the Bill, which he introduced to Parliament in February 2020 through the disruption to Parliamentary business caused by Coronavirus. The Bill has been signed into law merely hours before the end of the Parliamentary Session when, if not having achieved Royal Assent, the Bill would have fallen.

Mr Loder says his own dog, Poppy, a springer spaniel, is his inspiration for the Bill. She was abandoned at the roadside in West Dorset in January 2019 but is now the Loder family's much-loved farm dog. Poppy was in a very poorly condition when the MP found her on a stormy night and needed emergency veterinary care for long-term issues that the previous owners should have addresses.

Mr Loder's new law has had wide support from cross-party MPs, Defra, the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and other leading animal welfare organisations.

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