(Adds government's reaction)

The Labour Party has called for a modern law to protect animals.

Party spokesman Gino Cauchi referred to the recent reports of animal cruelty  and said the outcry should not be allowed to die down without proper action. Existing pieces of legislation needed to be updated and consolidated into one law.

He said the PL was in discussion with animal welfare NGOs and was prepared to be a catalyst on this issue.

The government said that, as already announced, it was seeing how to improve the Animal Welfare Act.

In this exercise, it was involving the Animal Welfare Council, animal welfare organisations, political parties, and the public.

Currently, one can be fined up to 50,000 euros and a year in jail. So far, 19 cases have been decided by the court against people who maltreated animals.

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