- Request
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8. What was your body's budget for farmed animal welfare enforcement?
9. Please list whether an official improvement notice or a prosecution was issued or commenced by you on each of the occasion an inspection revealed non-compliance at each of the following:
a. Farms;
b. Markets; and
c. Borders
10. How many welfare complaints did you receive in relation to the following:
a. On-farm animal welfare;
b. Welfare at markets; and,
c. Welfare during transport
d. Welfare at a border post
11. How many welfare complaints did you investigate in relation to the following:
a. On-farm animal welfare;
b. Welfare at markets; and,
c. Welfare during transport
d. Welfare at a border post
12. How many prosecution proceedings did you commence for offences named in the Animal Welfare Act 2006? a. Of those proceedings, how many resulted in a successful prosecution?
13. How many improvement notices did you serve under section 10 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 for failures to comply with section 9(1) of that Act?
14. How many prosecution proceedings did you commence for offences named in Section 7 of the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007?
a. Of those proceedings, how many resulted in a successful prosecution?
15. How many compliance notices were issued by your inspectors for failures to comply with the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006?
16. How many prosecution proceedings did you commence for offences named in the Welfare of Animals at Markets Order 1990? a. Of those proceedings, how many resulted in a successful prosecution?
17. How many individuals subject to any of the above enforcement action had previously committed an animal welfare offence?
18. How many people do you employ to carry out farm animal welfare inspections as part of their duties? a. How many farm animal welfare inspections did they complete?
19. How many people do you employ to carry out enforcement of the Animal Health Act 1981 as part of their duties?
20. In handling future freedom of information requests, is your authority able to respond to questions through a Google Form as an alternative to email response to enhance accessibility and efficiency?
- Decision
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I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.
8. There is no dedicated budget for farmed animal welfare enforcement. The budget we have is for Lincolnshire Trading Standards work overall.
9.a. Farms
2022 – 0
2023 – 1 prosecution commenced
b. Markets Please see below – an exemption is applied as there is only 1 market in Lincolnshire.
c. N/a (No Borders)
10. a. On-farm animal welfare
2022 – 54 – excludes disease and dead stock related complaints
2023 - 44 – excludes disease and dead stock related complaints
b. Welfare at markets Please see below – an exemption is applied as there is only 1 market in Lincolnshire.
c. Welfare during transport
2022 – 165
2023 – 160
d. Welfare at a border post N/a (No Borders)
11. a. On-farm animal welfare All complaints are assessed in order to determine if welfare issues alone, if so these matters are referred to the Duty Vet at the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA).
They will lead on these but may require Trading Standards to accompany any visits. If other matters are identified alongside welfare complaints, such as deadstock or disease, Trading Standards will allocate these are urgent for investigation.
b. Welfare at markets; Please see below – an exemption is applied as there is only 1 market in Lincolnshire.
c. Welfare during transport All complaints are assessed to determine whether there is fault and who that lies with – the transporter or the farm. These may have different Trading Standards Services.
d. Welfare at a border post N/a (No Borders)
12. 2022 – 0
2023 – 0
13. Zero – officers provide written advice in the form of a letter or Trading Standards Report detailing improvements required
14. 2022 – 0
2023 – 0
a. N/a
15. Zero – officers provide written advice in the form of a letter or Trading Standards Report detailing improvements required.
16. Please see below – an exemption is applied as there is only 1 market in Lincolnshire
17. Based on previous prosecutions, none.
18. Below is the overall number of full time equivalents (FTE) employed by Lincolnshire Trading Standards. We can only provide this by how it is held, by financial rather than calendar year.
The FTE’s reflect the number employed by the whole service to cover the full Trading Standards remit. In 2022 and 2023 there was not a team dedicated solely to animal welfare.
2021/22 – 33.00
2022/23 - 31.00
2023/24 – 35.41
a. 2022 – 98 inspections – inspections at all premises with an ‘animal health’ inspection type
2023 - 102 inspections – inspections at all premises with an ‘animal health’ inspection type
19. Below is the overall number of full time equivalents (FTE) employed by Lincolnshire Trading Standards. We can only provide this by how it is held, by financial rather than calendar year.
The FTE’s reflect the number employed by the whole service to cover the full Trading Standards remit. In 2022 and 2023 there was not a team dedicated solely to animal health.
2021/22 – 33.00
2022/23 - 31.00
2023/24 – 35.41
Livestock Markets
The information requested under this FOI relates to livestock markets, of which there is only one in Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire Trading Standards is responsible for enforcing a range of animal welfare legislation applicable to livestock markets, including the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The information you have requested is exempt from disclosure under section 31(1)(g) of the Freedom of Information Act.
This section provides that information is exempt if disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the exercise by any public authority of its functions for any of the purposes specified in section 31(2).
The relevant purposes specified in section 31(2) are as follows: “(a) the purpose of ascertaining whether any person has failed to comply with the law, (c) the purpose of ascertaining whether circumstances which would justify regulatory action in pursuance of any enactment exist or may arise.
- Reference number
- FOI 8800369
- Date request received
- 23/01/24
- Date of decision
- 09/04/24