https://www.facebook.com/106681495585538/

Wiltshire Animal Rights Watch of Westminster, Salisbury (2025)

16/01/2024

The Animal Welfare (Live Exports) BILL was debated in Commons 15th January 2024 where amendments to include llamas, alpacas, deer and reindeer where agreed. The long debate concluded with a vote to move onto 3rd Reading.

No comment from here as to the ridiculousness of debating an issue that was debated and agreed in the govt abandoned Kept Animals Bill AND the five years it's taken for PM Johnson's manifesto promise to get here....

05/12/2023

ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS: Licensing

Home Office written question – answered on 4 December 2023.

SARAH OLNEY - Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Treasury)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will recall all licences for companies to carry out animal testing.

THOMAS TUGENDHAT - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

"This Government recognises that scientific research using animals plays a vital part in our understanding of how biological systems work in health and disease. The use of animals in science supports the development of new medicines and cutting-edge medical technologies, for humans and animals, as well as supporting the safety and sustainability of our environment.

"The Government is also clear that animals must be protected. The legal framework in the UK requires that animals are only ever used in science where there are no alternatives, where the number of animals used is the minimum needed to achieve the scientific benefit, and where the potential harm to animals is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit".

"The Government has no plans to ban all animal testing but is committed to fully implementing the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement), and promoting non-animal alternatives wherever possible".

05/12/2023

Furs: Imports

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered on 4 December 2023.

SARAH CHAMPION - Chair, International Development Committee, Chair, International Development Committee

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Scottish and Welsh counterparts on banning the import and sale of fur since April 2022.

MARK SPENCER - The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

"Defra has regular discussions with the Devolved Administrations about a range of animal welfare topics. This includes our work to build the evidence base on the fur sector".

05/12/2023

ANIMAL WELFARE: Labelling
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered on 4 December 2023.

TRACEY CROUCH - Conservative, Chatham and Aylesford

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve animal welfare transparency on labelling of food products.

MARK SPENCER - The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Defra ran a Call for Evidence in 2021 to gather data on the impacts of different types of animal welfare labelling reforms. Based on the information gathered, we will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information for consumers. We will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of a wide range of market interventions, as well as how they could align with wider labelling proposals such as eco-labelling.

05/12/2023

ANIMAL WELFARE (Livestock Exports) BILL

Bill Presented – in the House of Commons at 5:45 pm on 4 December 2023.

Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57)

Secretary Steve Barclay , supported by the Prime Minister, Secretary Oliver Dowden, Secretary Alister Jack and Secretary David T. C. Davies, presented a Bill to make provision to prohibit the export of certain livestock from Great Britain for slaughter.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time tomorrow, and to be printed (Bill 17) with explanatory notes (Bill 17—EN).

26/11/2023

The Welsh Government had a "mini debate" about giving RSPCA more powers than they significantly don't have atm. For example, they cannot enter outbuildings without a police warrant, automatically seize animals and remove them from a situation negatively impacting their welfare, or issue statutory improvement and welfare notices under the Animal Welfare Act, as is the case with local authority inspectors. In response the minister pointed out that The English government is in the same position there isn't enough resources or allocated time to realistically empower them. Which leads RSPCA inspectors having to work with overstretched police leaving animals limbo.

Short Debate: Safeguarding mistreated animals — Providing the RSPCA with statutory powers

– in the Senedd at 5:56 pm on 22 November 2023

SAMUEL KURTZ- Conservative

"Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. And I’m grateful for the chance to bring this short debate forward this evening, and I’m very pleased to give Carolyn Thomas and Huw Irranca-Davies a minute of my time.

"As I’ve often said in this Chamber, I’m an advocate of devolution, and that doesn’t mean powers stopping here in Cardiff Bay; let’s see appropriate powers transferred to local authorities and organisations. The people who are most affected by decisions have the best understanding of the impact that these decisions will have on their communities, and, in short, I believe the equivalent of this could be true in terms of animal welfare. The devolution of select key powers to the RSPCA, the world’s largest and oldest animal welfare charity, could deliver better animal welfare here in Wales. As world leaders in the field of animal welfare, and with 2024 marking their two-hundredth anniversary, RSPCA’s key aim is to inspire a world where all animals are treated with kindness and respect and, in order to make this a reality, their inspectors act as the feet on the ground, operating at the forefront of this mantra. The charity’s animal rescue officers have responded to more than 4,900 cases specifically involving animal cruelty and neglect between October 2022 and October of this year, alongside, on average, receiving over 1 million calls across Wales and England to their cruelty helpline year-on-year.

"The RSPCA’s inspectors undertake these vital duties with no statutory powers, as, unbeknownst to many, they do not have the same powers designated to them as local authority inspectors under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. For example, they cannot enter outbuildings without a police warrant, automatically seize animals and remove them from a situation negatively impacting their welfare, or issue statutory improvement and welfare notices under the Animal Welfare Act, as is the case with local authority inspectors.

"Whilst the RSPCA are able to attend complaints of animal cruelty that have been submitted to them by the public, they cannot remove animals in distress without the owners’ permission or a police warrant. This current reliance on statutory public services, such as the police and local authorities, places additional pressure on their already stretched resources, whilst also leaving animals in vital need of rescue in limbo and potentially under cruel conditions for longer.

"RSPCA's role in this capacity could allow more time for local authorities to focus on the licensing of animal sanctuaries, rescue and rehoming centres, and mobile animal exhibits, following the outcome of this consultation.

"In addition, Dirprwy Lywydd, local authorities also currently have a statutory duty to pick up stray dogs. This is particularly important to note when considering the recently announced American XL bully ban, which is likely to result in an increase in the number of strays in the coming months. The impact this increase is set to have on local authorities will be unprecedented, as I note that this is the first time a new breed has been added to the Dangerous Dogs Act since its inception in 1991—coincidentally, in the year I was born. Thus, it is more vital than ever that we seriously consider accepting help and advice from this experienced and accredited organisation in the form of statutory powers to enable the RSPCA to work with and alongside our local authorities to keep our animals safe. I wanted to add in conjunction with these remarks, "Dirprwy Lywydd, that, of course, with the increase of powers comes the absolute need for the increase in accountability. Such action would enable the RSPCA to be better equipped and accountable in order to bring the enforcement work of all agencies closer together as well as easing the historic bureaucratic burden placed on public bodies.

"And finally, Dirprwy Lywydd, I understand that the transferring of statutory powers to the RSPCA would require careful consideration and a co-ordinated approach. The report submitted to the Welsh Government in 2019 exploring the appointment of inspectors formally under the Animal Welfare Act made a number of recommendations as to how these changes could be enforced and how this transition could be made as seamless as possible. I know that the Minister has previously expressed her relative yet cautious support, I think it's fair to say, for RSPCA inspection powers in this Chamber, stressing the practical importance in their handling of animal issues, most recently reiterating this support in response to a question I asked in the Chamber back in July. I'm grateful for this support, and I sincerely hope we can work together with the RSPCA as we look to progress this proposal in 2024.

"In conclusion, Dirprwy Lywydd, this debate comes at a juncture for animal welfare in Wales. With financial pressures and budgetary constraints impacting both animal owners and public services, the RSPCA is as keen as ever to support both of these entities as much as possible during these challenging times and beyond. I'm sure we can all agree that, at the forefront of this proposal, is the protection of our much-loved animals, and that we can, and should, where possible, activate all resources in order to meet our targets and reach as many in need as we can. This can be achieved via the continued assessment of the report handed to the Welsh Government in 2019 and the subsequent discussions and agreement on what additional steps are required to achieve this new status. Diolch yn fawr".

CAROLYN THOMAS - Labour
6:04, 22 November 2023

"Thank you, Sam, for putting this on the agenda. The RSPCA has a tough job to do. In north Wales alone, they received 1,800 calls in the last 12 months, and most people don't realise just how large an area inspectors have to cover. At times, only one inspector is available. Each call that requires action is sometimes a race to protect those animals, and having very simple powers would not only mean animals receive help quicker, but would also improve the efficiency and ability of the RSPCA to help more animals. We also must look at the cost saving for North Wales Police and local authorities, who have to support the RSPCA inspectors to use any of these powers. The cost and time savings made by those must also be taken into consideration. A change to allow the RSPCA powers to serve notices over an animal in distress, including power of entry and search under warrant, are powers the public believes the RSPCA already holds, and expects them to hold, to protect animals, and I am in full support".

HUW IRRANCA-DAVIES - Labour 6:05, 22 November 2023

"I'm in full support, also, of Sam, and I think that was a fantastic contribution that went through comprehensively the changes that are needed, and also the changes needed bring us in line with other constituent parts of the UK. So, over my 20 years, fortunately, as an elected representative, there's only been a handful of occasions where the RSPCA has struggled to get into a property or premises to inspect animal welfare without going through the additional hurdles of actually bringing along police or other enforcement officers with them. But it has been a burden to do that, and this would streamline the process fantastically. So, my question to you, Minister, in support of Sam, is this: how do we take it forward? Is it a question of finding a legislative opportunity? Is it a question of doing a little bit more work after the 2019 report? What hope can you give us, if you want to work with backbenchers, that we can find a way to take this forward together? Diolch yn fawr".

LESLEY GRIFFITHS - Labour 6:07, 22 November 2023

"Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you to Sam Kurtz for tabling today's debate. As a lifelong and vocal supporter of animal welfare, I condemn any and all cases of animal mistreatment and champion all efforts to combat neglect and abuse. Animal welfare is a Welsh Government priority and the focus of several of our programme for government commitments. I am committed to ensuring high standards of welfare and my ambition is for all animals in Wales to have a good quality of life.

"Animal abuse must never be tolerated, and I commend the RSPCA for their tireless efforts towards the protection of animals. In recent years, we have unfortunately witnessed a perfect storm of rises in pet ownership, particularly during COVID, accompanied by a cost-of-living crisis, which has sadly led to an increase in relinquishment and abandonment of pets. I'm grateful to our third sector animal welfare groups for their ongoing support of Wales's pet owners, and I'm not ignorant of the pressures the sector faces. I know the majority of us have the best interests of our animals at heart, but we cannot overlook those instances where things go wrong. As recently reported by the RSPCA at the launch of their Christmas campaign, animal neglect and abandonment are at a three-year high in the United Kingdom.

"Though I am supportive of the recent XL bully ban brought forward by the UK Government, I recognise it may also create additional pressures, and my officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in DEFRA to mitigate negative impacts. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal or to fail to meet their welfare needs, including the five freedoms. The Act has proved instrumental in several recent and high-profile offences. I am confident our ambitious programme for government will advance positive reform in this area and improve the lives of farmed, companion and other kept animals across Wales. The plan spans five years, but my hope is its influence will reach far beyond and positively benefit future generations. Progress will be delivered through commitments such as strengthening local authority enforcement and introducing licensing for animal welfare establishment, activities and exhibits, many of which are currently unregulated. These reforms are being pursued as a matter of priority and I'm pleased at the progress already made.

"As Sam referred to, I acknowledged in Plenary in July this year that I recognise there could be practical benefits to the RSPCA being granted additional powers. When I've accompanied them on visits, I've witnessed first-hand the frustrations faced and envision such powers would assist in cases where the RSPCA act as first responders. I agree, in principle, that such powers could be of benefit, and it is my intention to revisit this course of action once our current, already ambitious plans, are delivered. I understand our counterparts in

England share the same stance, citing significant resource implication and the complexities involved in changing primary legislation and setting up Government oversight. We face these same challenges here in Wales. If I were to privilege this work stream, which does not feature in our programme for government or our animal welfare plan, it would come at the expense of our already ambitious commitments and impede the positive progress being made on long-agreed priorities by diverting resources elsewhere. So, although our means may differ on occasion, I think we all share ambitions for animal welfare, and I remain proud of our close working relationship, without which our goals would not be easily achieved. So, of course I leave the door open for future discussion, and I hope, in the meantime, we can continue to channel efforts into our collective vision for animal welfare. Diolch.

18/11/2023

Ministers in Parliament have been discussing whether food labeling should include animal welfare information...

FOOD: LABELLING

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered on 14 November 2023.

Matt Vickers Conservative, Stockton South

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare, published by her Department in August 2022, whether she plans to take steps to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce labelling for animal welfare.

Mark Spencer The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

"Defra’s Call for Evidence on Labelling for Animal Welfare gathered data on the impacts of different types of labelling reforms. Based on the information gathered, we will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information for consumers. We will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of a wide range of market interventions, as well as how they could align with wider labelling proposals such as eco-labelling"

17/11/2023

CATS and DOGS: Animal Breeding

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered on 15 November 2023.

CATHERINE WEST - Shadow Minister (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking tackle illegal puppy and kitten farms in the context of the withdrawal of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

ROBBIE MOORE - Conservative, Keighley

"The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill did not contain any measures to tackle illegal puppy or kitten farms directly.

However, the Government is committed to delivering its manifesto commitment on puppy smuggling. We plan to take forward puppy smuggling measures as soon as parliamentary time allows.
"Regarding illegal puppy and kitten farms, we have taken significant steps to improve and update the laws on domestic cat and dog breeding to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed pets purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare."

25/10/2023

As Labours Shadow Environment Minister, Ruth Jones asked "Why should we believe the Minister when she says that our animal welfare is the best in the world?" during yet another debate to ban import of foie gras.

Importation and Sale of Foie Gras
– in Westminster Hall at 3:58 pm on 24 October 2023.

Giles Watling Conservative, Clacton 3:58, 24 October 2023
I beg to move,
That this House -
has considered the matter of the importation and sale of foie gras.

"It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard. I am grateful to have secured this important debate about the dreadful and totally unnecessary cruelty to animals in creating a so-called delicacy. I wish to make it clear that, while today’s debate is about the importation and sale of foie gras, I understand that we cannot ban a product. Instead, we can deal with the process through which it is made. In this case, the product, foie gras, is produced by forced feeding.
"I wish to offer my thanks to Abigail Penny from Animal Equality UK, who should be shortly joining us in the Public Gallery. I can proudly say that she hails from the sunshine coast and resides in Clacton, which is a place of animal lovers".

JIM SHANNON - Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Human Rights), Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Health)
"I commend the hon. Gentleman for securing this debate. There was an Adjournment debate on this matter in the Chamber some time ago. I supported the principle referred to by the hon. Gentleman. He probably shares my frustration that, although Government have made it clear that the production of force-fed foie gras raises serious welfare concerns, unfortunately no steps have been taken. What does he feel that the Minister and the Government need to do to make that happen?"

GILES WATLING - Conservative, Clacton
"I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I raise the matter here today precisely because I do not think enough action has taken place since that previous debate".

MARK PRITCHARD - Conservative, The Wrekin
Order. There is a Division in the House. We will suspend for 15 minutes for the first vote. If there are subsequent votes, it will be 10 minutes. Then, as soon as the mover of the motion and the Minister are here, we can proceed, so I ask hon. Members to go quickly as possible, please.

Sitting suspended for Divisions in the House.

On resuming—

GILES WATLING
Conservative, Clacton
4:24, 24 October 2023
After the interruption, I am pleased to say that we now have a full house in the Public Gallery. I pay tribute to and thank Abigail Penny from Animal Equality UK for her hard work on this cause. I can proudly say that she comes from Clacton, the sunshine coast, and Clacton is a place of animal lovers, which is probably why I am chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for animal welfare. Her charity has provided a brochure, which colleagues are welcome to take back with them, highlighting the issue in further detail.

Foie gras results from the process of forcibly putting a tube down a goose’s throat into their stomach and pumping food until their liver swells. The liver is then cut out and sold to the markets. I am sure that many meat eaters are present. One of my twin daughters champions the vegan cause, and I have to admit that I am not quite there. The point I wish to make is that the normal kinds of meat that the average consumer buys are not created in this barbaric and cruel fashion. We have strict laws in this country on how our industry produces meat and other animal products, avoiding unnecessary suffering where at all possible. Sadly, that is not the case with the production of foie gras.

RUTH JONES
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Labour attempted to ban the importation of foie gras during the passage of the Agriculture Act 2020. The Conservative Government voted our proposals down, but Labour is committed to introducing a ban on these imports as soon as we can. Can we count on the hon. Member’s support?"

GILES WATLING
Conservative, Clacton
"I am grateful for the hon. Lady’s intervention; I am not sure whether she was here earlier when I answered another point of a similar nature. One of the reasons why I am bringing the debate today is that there has been inaction. I would like to see action on this issue, and very soon.
I could quite easily go on regarding the emotional argument against foie gras and for animal welfare standards to be improved, but it seems impossible to have a reasonable method of producing foie gras. Instead, I shall raise a more practical argument. There have been many recorded incidents of disease outbreak in France. As we have seen with the growing bedbug issue, we are not safe from disease and pests just because we have the English channel. The crowded conditions of the farms act as a breeding ground for disease, much like any other form of intensive farming. As a representative of a constituency that has vast areas of rural land, I would not want to endanger my local farmers. We must be especially alert to that risk and not accelerate another potential pandemic given the serious consequences of covid-19. Although bird flu has not yet jumped to humans, I understand that scientists are concerned that it could mutate.
"Foie gras is an expensive luxury item. By defending foie gras sales or not acting on the trade during times of spiralling financial hardship across the country, I fear that we risk appearing to be totally out of touch with the British people. If I were to stand on Christmas Tree Island in Clacton and take a poll of constituents who have ever purchased foie gras, I can only imagine the response. This is especially important to keep in mind with the looming general election ahead. It is a low-hanging fruit for the Government, so we should move on it".

HENRY SMITH
Conservative, Crawley
"I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate; I had a similar debate on the banning of the importation of foie gras on the Floor of the House of Commons a while ago. Does he agree that if we deem foie gras too cruel to be produced in this country, we should also agree that, by definition, it is too cruel to be imported?"

GILES WATLING
Conservative, Clacton
"I absolutely agree that it is too cruel. As with the much-desired ban on trophy hunting, which is a ridiculous sport, we should ban such imports. From Abigail and Animal Equality UK, I understand that the petition to ban foie gras by force-feeding was signed by no fewer than 280,000 people. That is an enormous amount of people concerned for the lives of these birds and the way they live them, and it is impressive to see.
"I can confirm that e-petition 608288 to ban the importation and sale of foie gras has been signed by 6,878 people, including six of my constituents in Clacton, and e-petition 609129 to ban fur and foie gras imports has been signed by 528 people. There is a case to be made that public opinion is now moving in a very clear direction.
"However, colleagues and viewers of this debate alike might ask why it is focused on the importation and sale of foie gras produced by force feeding. It is because, as we have just heard, producing foie gras by force feeding is already outlawed in the UK. Nevertheless, despite the cruelty that goes into the production of foie gras, we still allow it to be imported. When applying the law, judges consider how consistent it is; in this case, in my view, the law is not very consistent at all.
"As my hon. Friend the Minister might mention—I do not wish to take away any of her thunder—the Government have successfully ended the imports of whale meat, seal fur, elephant ivory, and cat and dog meat; I personally ran a campaign against cat and dog meat, to end its production globally. If personal choice is a valid reason for failing to ban the import of foie gras, why have other bans been introduced?
"I also think it is prudent to note the Government’s support for the private Member’s Bill introduced by my hon. Friend Henry Smith on the importation of hunting trophies, which I mentioned earlier. If you will excuse the pun, Mr Pritchard, there is clearly an appetite in the Government to go down the route of banning cruel imports.
"Lastly, foie gras has been banned in royal residences since last year. I will not break any protocol by speaking here, but I think it prudent to mention that this place is a royal residence and still belongs to the Crown as a royal palace. Like all colleagues, I am a humble and obedient servant of the Crown, and I have sworn an oath of allegiance. Although it is my understanding that foie gras is not on any menus on the parliamentary estate, a strong act of symbolism would be to ban the product here, too—something that I will raise with Mr Speaker".

REBECCA POW
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
4:31, 24 October 2023
"I thank my hon. Friend Giles Watling for securing this debate today. As he pointed out, he is chair of the all-party parliamentary group on animal welfare, a role he takes really seriously—as did I when I chaired the same group as a Back Bencher. Some really great work has been done by that APPG.
My hon. Friend said that many of his constituents who are also great animal lovers are here today, because they take animal welfare very seriously. I was very pleased to hear that. However, I believe that we are an entire nation of animal lovers, and animal welfare has been an absolute top priority for the Government since 2010. Our standards of animal welfare are already world-leading. According to World Animal Protection’s animal protection index, the UK has the highest animal welfare score in the G7 and some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, which we should all genuinely be proud of".

RUTH JONES
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
"The Minister says that we have the highest animal welfare standards. May I ask her, very gently: why has the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill gone, why has the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill gone and why did we not take the chance to ban foie gras in 2020?"

REBECCA POW
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
"I thank the hon. Lady for that intervention. If she will bear with me and listen to my speech, I think she will see that so much proposed in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill has either already been brought forward in legislation or is in the process of being brought forward, so great is our commitment to animal welfare. I will list some of those things. .
"Since 2010, we have raised animal welfare standards for farm animals, companion animals and wild animals. We have banned the traditional battery cages for laying hens and we have raised standards for chickens reared for meat. We have implemented and upgraded welfare within our slaughter regime, including introducing CCTV cameras in slaughterhouses. We have revamped the local authority licensing regime for commercial pet services, including selling, dog breeding, boarding and animal displays, and we have banned third-party puppy and kitten sales through Lucy’s law, which we particularly worked on all those years ago in the APPG on animal welfare. We have also introduced protections for service animals through Finn’s law and we have introduced offences of horse fly-grazing and abandonment. Some colleagues in Westminster Hall now were involved in those pieces of legislation. We have also banned wild animals in travelling circuses".
"Our manifesto commitments demonstrate our ambition to go further on animal welfare. In 2019, we committed to bringing in new laws on animal sentience; to introducing tougher sentences for animal cruelty; to implementing the Ivory Act 2018 and extending it to other species; to ensuring that animal welfare standards are not compromised in trade deals; to cracking down on the illegal smuggling of dogs and puppies; to bringing forward cat microchipping; to banning the keeping of primates as pets; to banning live shipments of animals; and to ensuring that farmers, in return for funding, safeguard high standards of animal welfare".

BOB STEWART
Conservative, Beckenham
"Ducks and geese are sentient animals; they have feelings. Imagine all of us stuck in a cage with someone opening our mouths and stuffing stuff down our throats—God, how awful that would be! We have to get rid of this stuff."

REBECCA POW
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
"I thank my right hon. Friend for that intervention and I am not going to disagree about the horrible cruelty—that is why we have banned the practice in this country. I think he makes the point exactly.
"Those are the manifesto commitments but I would like to list the things that we have already delivered, to make it clear how seriously we take animal welfare: we have increased the penalties for those convicted of animal cruelty from six months to five years; we have passed the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, which has just been referred to, and we have launched the dedicated Committee to work on it; we have made microchipping compulsory for cats as well as dogs; and we have announced the extension to the Ivory Act 2018, which came into force last year, to cover five more endangered species—hippopotamus, narwhal, killer whale, s***m whale and walrus.
"On top of our manifesto commitments, we published our ambitious and comprehensive action plan for animal welfare in 2021. The plan set out the work that we are focused on pursuing, to deliver a better life for animals in this country and abroad. The commitments in the action plan last through this Parliament and beyond it. Our action plan relates to farmed animals, wild animals, pets and sporting animals, and it includes legislative and non-legislative reforms. In addition, we have provided for penalty notices to apply to animal welfare offences; introduced new police powers to tackle hare coursing—that needed tackling and we have worked hard to bring forward a better crackdown on hare coursing; we banned glue traps; and we have supported the private Members’ Bills to ban the trade in detached shark fins and to ban the advertising here of low-welfare animal experiences abroad.
"This debate, raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Clacton, deals specifically with foie gras. As hon. Members will know, the production of foie gras by force-feeding is banned in the UK because it is incompatible with domestic legislation. Foie gras production is covered by the general provisions in the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which make it a criminal offence to allow an animal to suffer unnecessarily and place a duty on people responsible for animals that requires them to do all that is reasonable to ensure the welfare of their animals. That includes an animal’s need for a suitable diet and to be protected from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.
"While we have domestic restrictions on the production of force-fed foie gras, it is of course possible to import foie gras from abroad—clearly, there is a market trading in that. It is absolutely vital that we develop any future policies on the basis of robust evidence in line with the Government’s commitment to improving animal welfare standards as set out in the action plan for animal welfare. We are committed to building a clear evidence base on foie gras to inform our future decisions, and we are looking at what other countries that have banned it do. As my hon. Friend will know, a certain number of countries have banned the production of foie gras just as we have—Germany, Italy and Luxembourg. As he will also know, the EU does not have an overall ban. We are also looking at how the World Trade Organisation operates if a ban is introduced.
"All those things need to be considered carefully. One of our strongest levers is the work that we do on the international stage to influence the strengthening of animal welfare standards across the globe recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health and other global organisations and applied to different countries. As my hon. Friend will know from his work on dog meat—we did some work on that jointly as Back Benchers—that is a strong way to influence and encourage other countries not to use these methods. All that will be looked at in the evidence base, and we will work with relevant Departments on disease—he mentioned disease and avian flu—as part of the evidence building.
"I am standing in for my right hon. Friend the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries, and I will make sure that comments made in the debate are passed on to him, as he was unable to attend. My hon. Friend the Member for Clacton will know that some supermarkets have banned foie gras and, as he said, King Charles does not allow it to be served. Customers already have a choice not to buy it and certainly not to eat it—I would certainly never buy it.

GILES WATLING - Conservative, Clacton
"On that very point about banning the product and its import, many businesses in the private sector have banned the product and refuse to sell it. Fortnum & Mason—a short walk from Parliament—banned it from its shelves in 2021. By allowing restaurants and retailers to sell foie gras the United Kingdom, we are permitting animal torture and suffering. It is time to take an ethical stance, because those who still sell foie gras have a business advantage, as it is still legal and possible to do so".

REBECCA POW
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
"I hear what my hon. Friend says, and I will certainly pass on his comments. I have made the point that we have a choice as to whether or not to buy the product if we do not support those methods of production. The evidence base is being established to inform future decisions, and I want to conclude by reiterating that animal welfare is a huge Government priority. We recognise the massive contribution that animals make to our planet. We are proud of what we have achieved on animal welfare".

RUTH JONES
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
rose—

REBECCA POW
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
"Am I allowed to take an intervention, Mr Pritchard? I am not sure whether I have time".

Mark Pritchard
Conservative, The Wrekin
"Yes, you have time".

REBECCA POW
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
"I will be generous and take another intervention".

RUTH JONES
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
"I thank the Minister, as she has been generous with her time. On animal welfare, a senior Tory MP has stated that hormone-injected beef is “delicious” and that
“you’ll be absolutely fine with chlorinated chicken”.
"Why should we believe the Minister when she says that our animal welfare is the best in the world?"

REBECCA POW
"The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Actually, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs dismissed those comments completely and said, “Absolutely not”. I reiterate that very strongly.
"To conclude, we are really proud of what we have achieved on animal welfare. I do not think that anyone in the Chamber could disagree with the long list of things that we have achieved between us. We have made a huge step forward, but there is more to do and we keep prioritising caring for, protecting and respecting the animals with whom we share the planet".

Question put and agreed to.

Sitting suspended.

Wiltshire Animal Rights Watch of Westminster

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