IMPORTANT

Public Consultation: Have Your Say on New Animal Welfare Laws in Northern Ireland (Deadline to respond to our charity: 24 June 2026)

DAERA has launched a major consultation proposing changes to animal welfare laws in Northern Ireland. These changes will affect rescues, fosterers, pet owners, trainers, and the general public.

https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-proposed-animal-welfare-policy-reforms-northern-ireland

The consultation covers five key areas:

1. Regulation of rescue and rehoming organisations

2. An inflationary increase in dog licence fees

3. A ban on specific aversive training devices

4. Strengthened microchipping requirements for dogs

5. A call for evidence on mandatory microchipping of pet cats

⭐ Important: The consultation contains a major flaw

DAERA’s consultation does not inform the public that Northern Ireland already has a legal exemption to compulsory dog microchipping.

Under the Dogs (Amendment) Act (NI) 2011, a dog is legally exempt if a vet certifies that microchipping would harm the dog’s health. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2011/9/section/2

This omission means:

• the public cannot give fully informed responses

• owners of medically vulnerable dogs may feel excluded

• rescues may wrongly believe they must microchip every dog

• the impact of strengthened microchipping rules cannot be properly assessed

• the public cannot argue for the same exemption for cats

We will be raising this as a significant flaw in the consultation process.

 

⭐ We are also concerned about the interaction with the Pet Abduction Act

The Pet Abduction Act 2024 has already created legal uncertainty for rescues, fosterers, and members of the public who help stray or abandoned animals.

Strengthened microchipping rules — and especially compulsory cat microchipping — could:

• increase the legal presumption of ownership

• make it harder for rescues to intervene in welfare cases

• expose volunteers and fosterers to legal risk

• discourage the public from helping injured or abandoned cats

This makes it even more important that the consultation is transparent, accurate, and complete.

⭐ We are particularly interested in your views on three areas

We especially want to hear from you about:

1️⃣ Regulation of rescue & rehoming organisations

This section appears to be written with large, premises‑based rescues in mind. We need to understand how it will affect:

• small rescues

• foster‑based rescues

• home‑based rescuers

• volunteers

• individuals who rescue informally

2️⃣ Microchipping (dogs and cats)

We want to gather balanced evidence, including:

• health risks

• database failures

• enforcement issues

• legal risks under the Pet Abduction Act

• the need for a veterinary exemption (already in dog law)

3️⃣ Costs and personal impact

We want to understand:

• how these proposals will affect you financially

• whether they will change what you can do

• whether they will make it harder to rescue, foster, or own pets

• whether they will increase abandonment or reduce compliance

Your lived experience is essential.

⭐ These changes could directly impact our charity

As a small rescue that operates differently from large, premises‑based organisations, these proposals could have serious consequences for how we work.

Depending on the final legislation, the combined impact of:

• new rescue regulations

• strengthened microchipping rules

• the interaction with the Pet Abduction Act

• increased administrative and financial burdens

could make it impossible for us to continue operating.

We must fully understand the public’s experiences and concerns so we can respond accurately and protect the future of our work.

⭐ We need your views by 24 June

We want to hear from:

• rescues (large and small)

• fosterers

• home‑based rescuers

• volunteers

• pet owners

• trainers

• vets

• anyone affected by these proposals

Your experiences will help us prepare our own response and ensure the voices of small rescues and ordinary pet owners are heard. We are

We will be posting separate threads on each topic to gather detailed feedback.

👉 Please comment on our facebook pages (7th Heaven Animal Rescue Trust or Seventh Heaven), message us privately or email us to animalrescuetrust@hotmail.com if you prefer.