Ashford Borough Council’s Licensing team issues its first Animal Penalty Notice

Following investigation into allegations of dog breeding and selling animals as pets without a licence, Ashford Borough Council’s Licensing team has issued its first penalty notice under the Animals (Penalty Notices) Act 2022.

The penalty notice of £1250 was issued to a resident of Pluckley following the gathering of evidence which highlighted the individual’s involvement in the sale of animals as pets without a licence. The evidence included a large number of online adverts over a three-year period and private messaging through different user accounts across a number of online selling sites, and was predominately linked to the sale of French bulldogs and Cane Corso dog breeds.

The fixed penalty, which can vary based on the case specific circumstances can vary between £1,000 to £5,000, is offered to individuals as an option to discharge their liability to criminal prosecution. Such penalties can be used in the case of first offences as an effective means of addressing a criminal offence, without the additional burden of formal Court proceedings.

Should an individual choose not to pay a fixed penalty notice, then prosecution through the Magistrates Courts would then follow, whereby the individual may be subject to criminal conviction, unlimited fines and/or six months imprisonment.

Cllr Katrina Giles, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Health at Ashford Borough Council, said: ‘I am pleased to see the effective use of these powers to promote animal welfare within licensable activities in order to tackle unlicensed operators who seek to gain financially from animals, often at the cost of welfare’.