Farmers have warned that Jersey’s proposed new animal welfare law could criminalise routine agricultural practices and give ministers sweeping new powers with insufficient scrutiny.

The Jersey Farmers’ Union has submitted concerns to the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel as part of its review of the Draft Animal Welfare (Jersey) Law, which would replace the existing 2004 legislation.

While supporting the principle of strong animal welfare standards, the union said the draft law risks placing disproportionate burdens on farmers and has been developed with inadequate consultation.

“Due to a lack of consultation in the drafting/preparatory stage there appears to be an awful lot to consider,” wrote Jersey Farmers’ Union president Douglas Richardson, adding that the legislation appeared to be being “pushed through with a very poor consultation and very limited justification”.

One of the the union’s biggest concerns relates to new provisions dealing with straying livestock.

Under the draft law, inspectors would be able to take action where animals stray into public places, and farmers could face criminal penalties if they fail to secure animals or comply with improvement notices. The union said this could make farmers liable for circumstances beyond their control.

Jersey Farmers’ Union member Aaron Le Couteur warned that “the new provisions on ‘straying animals will make having an old fence a criminal liability”.

He described this as a “serious overstep and stretch of animal welfare legislation” that risks “criminalising an inherent reality of farming”.

The farmer added: “Anyone that thinks farmers neglect fence lines purposefully does not understand most farming realities and will only aid in persecuting and marginalising farmers who already have a hard enough time and may cause us to stop grazing certain sites due to the legislative risk, meaning land will become unmanaged, leading to massive biodiversity loss.”

Mr Le Couteur also argued that the draft law fails to address dog attacks on sheep, which he described as the “largest single welfare concern” for livestock.

The submission notes repeated petitions to the States Veterinary Officer about the issue, warning that if it remains unaddressed it “could well be the end” of some agricultural businesses.

Mr Le Couteur said: “This draft cannot be allowed to progress until both it and any revisions to the dog’s law have been drafted to ensure the effective protection of livestock welfare from dogs. Both need to be done in unison to ensure any relevant overlaps are managed appropriately.”

The farming body also says it is alarmed by the wide powers the draft law would give to the Environment Minister to introduce new rules through orders which would not require approval by the States Assembly or Scrutiny panels.

The union said this reduces democratic oversight and could allow major changes to be introduced without proper consultation.

“We wrote to the States Vet in July 2025 to express our concerns that the draft Animal Welfare Law will give the Minister power to make orders, which will not be subject to overview by the States Assembly or by Scrutiny,” Mr Richardson said, adding that such orders “could be wide ranging” and have “a big impact on farmers”.

The union has also criticised the consultation process itself, describing it as “too short” and poorly timed – with the three-week consultation period taking place during a peak busy season for farmers.

The group is calling for an extension and for wider engagement with farmers, animal keepers, and local veterinary practices.