{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/animals-act-1971/section-11",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/animals-act-1971/section-11.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1971/22",
  "legislation_title": "Animals Act 1971",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/animals-act-1971",
  "path": "section/11",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "11",
  "heading": "General interpretation.",
  "text": "In this Act—\n“ common land ” means—\n(a)land registered as common land in a register of common land kept under Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006;\n(b)land to which Part 1 of that Act does not apply and which is subject to rights of common within the meaning of that Act;\n“ town or village green ” means land registered as a town or village green in a register of town or village greens kept under Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006;\n“damage” includes the death of, or injury to, any person (including any disease and any impairment of physical or mental condition);\n“fault” has the same meaning as in the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945;\n“fencing” includes the construction of any obstacle designed to prevent animals from straying;\n“ horse ” includes an ass, mule or hinny;\n“livestock” means cattle, horses, ... sheep, pigs, goats and poultry, and also deer not in the wild state and, in sections 3 and 9, also, while in captivity, pheasants, partridges and grouse;\n“poultry” means the domestic varieties of the following, that is to say, fowls, turkeys, geese, ducks, guinea-fowls, pigeons, peacocks and quails; and\n“ public place ” includes—\n(a)any common land or town or village green;\n(b)any highway (and the verges of any highway);\n“species” includes sub-species and variety.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 11 substituted (31.10.2011 for E.) by Commons Act 2006 (c. 26), s. 56, Sch. 5 para. 2 (with s. 60); S.I. 2011/2460, art. 2(a)(i) (with art. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 11 inserted (26.5.2015) by Control of Horses Act 2015 (c. 23), ss. 1(3)(a), 5(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 11 omitted (26.5.2015) by virtue of Control of Horses Act 2015 (c. 23), ss. 1(3)(b), 5(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 11 inserted (26.5.2015) by Control of Horses Act 2015 (c. 23), ss. 1(3)(c), 5(1)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/22/section/11",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:50:16.336253+00:00",
    "licence": "OGL-UK-3.0",
    "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
    "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
  }
}