Animals Act 1971
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act to make provision with respect to civil liability for damage done by animals and with respect to the protection of livestock from dogs; and for purposes connected with those matters. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1971 c. 22 |
| Introduced by | Sir Arthur Irvine, Solicitor General (Commons) |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 12 May 1971 |
| Commencement | 1 October 1971 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Control of Horses Act 2015 |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Animals Act 1971 (c. 22) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom the purpose of which was to codify civil liability for damage done by animals in England and Wales.
Section 1 broadly provides for the abolition of common law torts relating to cattle trespass and to the old common law scienter action with respect to animals which are ferae naturae or otherwise known to be vicious, as well as the abrogation of statutory provisions relating to civil liability in the Dogs Act 1906.
The provisions largely codify the pre-existing common law rules.