The Danish government proposes to double the penalties for abusing animals.
If approved, offenders would have to pay 10,000 kroner instead of the current 5,000, and in severe cases they might go to jail for up to two years instead of one.
The food and environment minister, Eva Kjer Hansen, believes the current law is too moderate.
READ MORE: Denmark pushing animal welfare agenda in the EU
Special welfare police
“Animals should be treated well regardless of whether they are kept privately or for commercial purposes,” Hansen told DR.
The proposal is fully-backed by Dansk Folkeparti, which calls for even stricter penalties and the immediate establishment of special welfare police.
“Right now, it’s the voluntary animal welfare organisations doing the work, and they often run into brick walls,” Karine Due, the animal welfare spokesperson for Dansk Folkeparti, told DR.
“We simply cannot have that.”
