Protection of Animals (Anaesthetics) Act 1964

1964 CHAPTER 39

An Act to amend the Protection of Animals (Anaesthetics) Act 1954.

[10th June 1964]

Be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Enlargement of classes of operations in which anaesthetics must be used.

(1) Schedule 1 to the Protection of Animals (Anaesthetics) Act 1954 (which lists operations which may be performed without an anaesthetic) shall be amended as follows.

(2) Paragraph 5 (castration of dogs and cats below certain ages) shall be repealed.

(3) For paragraph 6 (castration of horses, asses or mules, bulls, sheep, goats and pigs below certain ages) there shall be substituted the following paragraphs—

“6 The castration of a male animal specified in the following table before it has reached the age so specified, that is to say—

bull	3 months
sheep	3 months
goat	2 months
pig	2 months.

6A The foregoing paragraph shall not apply to the castration of an animal by using a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the scrotum unless the device is applied within the first week of life.”

(4) Paragraphs 7 and 8 (minor operations which are customarily performed without an anaesthetic) shall not in any circumstances permit—

(a) the castration of a male animal (but without prejudice to the circumstances in which castration is permitted by paragraph 6 of the Schedule as set out in subsection (3) of this section);

(b) the de-horning of cattle;

(c) the dis-budding of calves, except by means of chemical cauterisation applied within the first week of life; or

(d) the docking of lambs' tails by using a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the tail, unless the device is applied within the first week of life.

(5) In this section " cattle" means bulls, cows, bullocks, heifers, calves, steers or oxen.

2 Short title, citation, extent and commencement.

(1) This Act may be cited as the Protection of Animals (Anaesthetics) Act 1964, and—

(a) this Act and the Protection of Animals Acts 1911 to 1962 may be cited together as the Protection of Animals Acts 1911 to 1964; and

(b) this Act and the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Acts 1912 to 1962 may be cited together as the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Acts 1912 to 1964.

(2) This Act shall not extend to Northern Ireland.

(3) This Act shall come into operation at the expiration of the period of two months beginning with the date on which it is passed.