Alliance South Antrim MLA John Blair is Chair of the newly-formed All Party Group (APG) on Animal Welfare.
The inaugural meeting of the APG took place on Thursday 12 November.
The USPCA Animal Welfare Manifesto – ‘Addressing the Deficit’ was also launched.
The APG on Animal Welfare is the first All Party Group in nearly five years to formally address prevalent animal welfare issues in Northern Ireland.
It also aims to raise the profile of animal welfare concerns within the NI Assembly.
The USPCA Animal Welfare Manifesto outlines key animal welfare issues in Northern Ireland and sets out where Northern Ireland lags behind Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland in legislating to protect animals from suffering.
MLA John Blair said he is delighted to have been elected Chair and to see widespread support, across the political parties, for introducing the group to prioritise a range of animal welfare issues.
“I look forward to working with colleagues over the coming months to progress legislation which will further enhance those protections,” he said.
The All Party Group aims to foster cross-party discussion on animal welfare and its surrounding issues. By giving more prominence to animal welfare issues within the Assembly and the Executive, the APG hopes to mobilise political commitment to the addressing and improvement of animal welfare in Northern Ireland.
USPCA Chief Executive Brendan Mullan, added: “We are delighted to see strong support from our MLAs with their membership of the APG as we need immediate action to bridge the gap in our legislation.
“Alongside the engagement of our MLAs, there is an incredible appetite for animal welfare improvement in Northern Ireland from the general public. The launch of our Manifesto and the establishment of the Animal Welfare APG marks a really significant milestone for animal welfare and we hope, the beginning of a new era with real change,” she added.
For more information on the USPCA and the All Party Group please visit www.uspca.co.uk/campaigns.