Animal protection law amendments in Hong Kong : the preference of introducing a code of practice and sentencing council

Abstract

There are public criticisms on the effectiveness of combating animal cruelty offences in Hong Kong. Legal professionals proposed several suggestions including empowerment of regulatory authorities, introduction of sentencing council and enhancement of ordinance especially by imposing positive duty of care (Whitfort, 2010). Supports from the general public on greater power of regulatory authorities and imposing a positive duty of care were clearly reflected by the consultation conducted by Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department in 2019 (Legco, 2020). This research seeks to examine the feasibility of the introduction of a code of practice applicable to animal keepers and the introduction of a sentencing council specifically for animal cruelty offences in Hong Kong. By carrying out a public consultation via face-to-face street surveys, views of the general public in relation to the introduction of a code of practice for animal keepers and the introduction of a sentencing council for animal cruelty cases are collected. The research result revealed that the general public in Hong Kong overwhelmingly supported the introduction of code of practice and an independent sentencing council. Recommendations related to what the code of practice should include and how a sentencing council should be set up are also explored in the research.