Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, has expressed his support for a Government-backed amendment to the Online Safety Bill tackling animal torture content. The Bill, which recently completed its Third Reading in the House of Lords, will establish a world-leading framework which will protect children and empower adults online.
The animal welfare amendment will enable the Government to ensure that all online platforms take proactive measures to tackle content amounting to the offence of unnecessary suffering to animals. A broad swathe of behaviour can therefore be deemed legally offensive, including the abuse of domestic, captive, and wild animals. Speaking about the amendment, Mr Loder said:
“Having high standards of animal welfare is very important to me, and this extends to our online ecosystem. It is morally wrong that videos and pictures of abhorrent animal torture are appearing online, unregulated, and often targeted towards children and teenagers. It is an offence that this content is created in the first place, and I’m glad that the Government has backed an amendment to curtail this content. I will continue to ensure that legislation of all types protects the welfare of animals.”
