Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006

The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 (asp 11) is an Act of the Scottish Parliament. It received Royal Assent on 11 July 2006.

The Act consolidated, repealed and replaced many other pieces of legislation, such as the Protection of Animals Act 1934 and the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960.

Provisions
The Act bans tail docking of dogs. It exempts the docking of lambs' or pigs' tails, ear tagging and the castration of farm animals. The issue has caused controversy. The Act also provided for increased slaughter powers in order to combat disease.

It also bans the act of removing the scent glands from skunks.

Section 55 – Commencement
The following commencement orders have been made in relation to this Act:
 * The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 (Commencement No. 1, Savings and Transitional Provisions) Order 2006
 * The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2007
 * The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 (Commencement No. 3 and Saving Provisions) Order 2020

Related legislation
The corresponding Act for England and Wales is the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and the corresponding Act for Northern Ireland is the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.