Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 2000

2 Orders for the care, disposal or slaughter of animals

(1) If, on the application of the prosecutor, it appears to the court from evidence given by a veterinary surgeon that it is necessary in the interests of the welfare of the animals in question for the prosecutor to do one or more of the things mentioned in subsection (2), the court may make an order authorising him to do so.

(2) Those things are—

(a) taking charge of the animals and caring for them, or causing or procuring them to be cared for, on the premises on which they are kept or at some other place;

(b) selling the animals at a fair price;

(c) disposing of the animals otherwise than by way of sale;

(d) slaughtering the animals, or causing or procuring them to be slaughtered.

(3) In determining what to authorise by the order, the court must have regard to all the circumstances, including the desirability of protecting the owner’s interest in the value of the animals and avoiding increasing his costs.

(4) An order under this section ceases to have effect on the discontinuance or other disposal of the proceedings under section 1 of the 1911 Act; but this is without prejudice to anything done before, or done in pursuance of a contract entered into before, the order ceases to have effect.