Who is responsible for what in Animal Welfare?
A wide range of different organisations respond to calls from members of the public about different animal welfare problems and it can be very confusing to know who to report different problems to. This includes the police, local authorities, the RSPCA and Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, but also includes social landlords and council teams whose primary responsibilities are not animal issues (e.g. social services). Different bodies have different responsibilities and some have statutory powers to be able to take action. To ensure the best course of action is taken for an individual animal it is important that the right agency is contacted in the first instance.
The aim of this document is to provide an easy to understand guide of who to report different problems to so as to ensure the animal welfare issue is addressed as quickly as possible. It is hoped this document will be useful to not only members of the public but also those who deal with animal issues on a daily basis.
For further information, please download the document on the right hand side of this page.