Cat Animal
Cruelty Laws Sweden
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Karlson
- Swedish cat
photo
by degeerelle
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Penal
Code -- Cat Animal Cruelty Laws Sweden
The Swedish Penal Code was adopted in 1962 and entered into
force on 1 January 1965.
Part Two - On
Crimes, Chapter 16, Section 13
A person who, with intent or through gross carelessness, by
maltreating, overworking, neglecting or in some other way
unjustifiably exposes an animal to suffering, shall be sentenced for
cruelty to animals to a fine or imprisonment for at most two years.
(Law 1972:629)
Civil
Code -- Cat
Animal Cruelty Laws Sweden
There are two pieces of legislation: The Animal Welfare Act
and The Animal Welfare
Ordinance. The latter deals with farm livestock and is not refers to
here.
In respect of the welfare of cats, my area of interest, the Animal
Welfare Act applies. Only selected sections are referred to. A link to
the full Act can be found here.
The Animal Welfare Act as at 2007
unofficial translation
This Act deals makes provision for the care of pets, farm animals and
animal testing.
Scope of
the Act
Section 1
This Act applies to the care and treatment of domestic animals and
laboratory animals. It also applies to other animals if they are kept
in captivity.
Act (2005:1226).
Section 1 a
(1) The Act supplements those provisions in EC regulations (EC
provisions)
that fall within the scope of the Act. The Government shall promulgate
the
basic regulations concerned in the Swedish Code of Statutes.
________________________
Basic
provisions concerning animal management and
treatment
Section 2
(1) Animals shall be treated well and shall be
protected from unnecessary
suffering and disease.
(2) Animals used as laboratory animals shall not be deemed to have been
subjected to unnecessary suffering or disease where such use has been
approved by an ethical committee on animal experiments. Act (2005:1226).
Section 3
(1) Animals shall be given sufficient food and water and adequate care.
Feeding stuffs and water must be of good quality and appropriate for the
species of animal that is being fed
Section 4
(1) Animals shall be accommodated and handled
in an environment that is
appropriate for animals and in such a way as to promote their health and
permit natural behaviour
Obligation to obtain permission
to keep animals in certain cases
Section 16
(1) An operating permit is required by any
person who, on a professional
basis or on a substantial scale:keeps, breeds, supplies or sells pet
animals or receives pet animals for boarding or feeding;
Animal experiments
Section 19
Animal experiments may only take place
provided that the purpose of the activity cannot be attained by any
other satisfactory method that does not entail the use of animals; as
few animals as
possible are used; the activity is organized in such a way as not to
subject the animals to greater suffering than is absolutely necessary;
and no animals other than animals bred for the purpose are used in the
activity. Act (2005:1226).
Official control by the control
authorities
Section 24
(1) Official control of compliance with this
Act, the regulations and
decisions issued pursuant to the Act, the EC provisions supplemented by
the Act and the decisions adopted pursuant to the EC provisions, is
exercised by the county administrative boards, other government
agencies and the municipalities, as determined by the Government
Orders, prohibitions and remedies
Section 26
(1) Over and above what follows from the EC
provisions supplemented by
the Act or what is specifically stated in section 24 e, a control
authority may issue the orders and prohibitions that are needed to
ensure compliance with the Act, the regulations and decisions issued
pursuant to the Act, the EC provisions supplemented by the Act and the
decisions adopted pursuant to the EC provisions.
Assistance from a police
authority
Section 27 a
The police authority shall provide the
assistance that is needed for exercise
of official control or enforcement of decisions under this Act, the
regulations
or decisions issued pursuant to the Act, the EC provisions supplemented
by the Act or the decisions adopted pursuant to the EC provisions.
Prohibition against having
animals in care
Section 29
(1) The county administrative board shall
prohibit persons to have animals,
or a particular species of animal, in their care if they: fail to
comply with a decision taken by a control authority pursuant to section
26 which is of significant relevance to animal welfare; seriously
neglect the control or care of an animal; maltreat an animal; have been
convicted of cruelty to animals pursuant to chapter 16, section 13, of
the Penal Code; or have repeatedly been convicted of offences
pursuant to sections 36or 36 a or have repeatedly been the subject of
decisions pursuant to section 26
Section 36
(1) The penalty for offences committed
deliberately or through negligence
in the following cases shall be a fine or imprisonment for not more than
two years:
- offences under sections 3, 5, 6, 8-11, 13, 14,
16-19a or 21;
- failure to comply with a rule issued pursuant
to this Act; or
- failure to comply with an order or prohibition
referred to in section 29.
(2) The penalty for offences committed deliberately and in breach of an
obligation that is important from the point of view of animal welfare
shall
be imprisonment for not more than two years.
(3) No penalties shall be imposed for minor offences.
(4) No penalties shall be imposed pursuant to this Act where the penalty
for the offence provided by the Penal Code is the same or more severe.
Act
(2002:550).
Links to full text -- Cat Animal Cruelty
Laws Sweden
Full
Text of Animal Welfare Act in PDF
Full
Text of Swedish Penal Code in PDF
Cat
Animal Cruelty Laws Sweden - Photo: published
under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License
Cat
Animal Cruelty Laws Sweden to Cats and the Law
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