Kommunikation mellan djurskyddsinspektörer och djurägare

Abstract: This paper discusses animal welfare, and Sweden, as an EU member state, has a responsibility toensure that official animal welfare inspections are carried out in accordance with communityregulations. The first of January 2009, the welfare moved from the municipalities in to the 21county administrative boards. This restructuring was made due to the deficiencies that the auditconducted by the EU of the FVO (Food and Veterinary Office) 2003 found in the Swedishsystem. Sweden failed in coordination and inspection to ensure animal welfare.The aim of this examination paper is to shed light on animal welfare work operated in the countyof Halland and in Sweden in general. The paper focuses on a few questions. What is animalwelfare inspectors’ opinion about the reconstruction and their work at the county administrativeboard, and what are the inspectors’ views on animal control inspections and legislation?Animal welfare inspectors who work in Halland think that it is good that the animal welfarecontrol has been moved to the county administrative board because this will hopefully provide abetter and more balanced overview of animal welfare in the entire country. Before, the amount ofsupervision that was actually implemented differed very much from one municipality to another.Of the animal owners who responded to the survey, it was less than half who had been in contactwith the animal welfare legislation before they were visited by the animal welfare inspector. Halfof all animal owners thought that the legislation is not sufficiently specific, and that it is difficultto understand. Moreover, animal owners thought that the legislation gave much space to theinspectors themselves to decide the outcome.The investigation shows that animal owners that have had an inspection on their animals’condition and welfare, because of a complaint against them, are a little bit more dissatisfied withthe animal welfare inspectors. It is the same if non-compliance / violation of the legislation hasbeen demonstrated in their animal husbandry. However, generally the inspectors have done agood job according to the responses to the survey.