: Maximum penalty--250 penalty units in the case of a
corporation and 50 penalty units or imprisonment for 6 months, or both, in the
case of an individual.
(2) A person is not guilty of an offence against this
section if the court is satisfied that the procedure comprising the alleged
offence--
(a) was docking the tail of a calf less than 6 months old when the
offence was alleged to have been committed, or
(b) was--
(i) docking the tail
of a cow, heifer or female calf,
(ii) operating upon a dog for the purpose of
preventing the dog from being able to bark,
(iii) removing one or more of the
claws of a cat,
(iv) grinding, trimming or clipping one or more teeth of a
sheep,
(v) performing a clitoridectomy on a greyhound, or
(vi) firing or hot
iron branding the face of an animal,
and the
procedure was performed in the prescribed circumstances and in accordance with
any conditions specified in the regulations.
(2A) A person is not guilty of
an offence against this section if the court is satisfied that the procedure
comprising the alleged offence was the docking of the tail of a dog, was
performed by a veterinary practitioner and was in the interests of the dog's
welfare.
(3) In this section--
"clip" the tooth of a sheep means breaking off the crown of a tooth with
pliers or another tool or implement.
"dock" the tail of an animal means to remove all or part of the tail of the
animal (other than a part of the tail consisting only of fur, hair, feathers
or the like) whether by surgical or other means.
"grind" the tooth of a sheep means grinding down a tooth with an electric
angle grinder or another tool or implement.
"trim" the tooth of a sheep means cutting off a tooth with an abrasive disc or
another tool or implement.
