9 Dec 2022
The RSPCA, BVA and MPs have leaned on the Government to finally proceed with the proposed legislation, which looks at key animal welfare issues.
Allister Webb
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The RSPCA has warned the UK’s animal welfare reform agenda could collapse because of the continuing delay to the Kept Animals Bill.
The claim was made after MPs heard the Government would return to the proposed legislation “very shortly”, despite not setting out a date for when it would come back to Parliament.
The BVA has also urged the Government to honour its own election pledges in the area after MP and vet Neil Hudson told a Westminster Hall debate the issue “unites us in humanity”.
Dr Hudson said: “Introducing this legislation is the right and moral thing to do for these wonderful sentient beings, which we have a duty of care towards.
“To quote a famous sports brand, I say to the Government: just do it.”
The 5 December debate was called after more than 107,000 people signed a parliamentary petition demanding the Government “urgently” finds the time necessary to bring the long-awaited bill into law.
The proposed legislation, which would enable the introduction of measures such as banning the importation of dogs with cropped ears, was first introduced into Parliament last year.
Defra minister Mark Spencer admitted he was likely to disappoint members by being unable to announce a date for the remaining stages of the bill, but insisted it would be brought back “as soon as we have parliamentary time that will allow us to move forward”.
He argued the Government was “very keen to get on with it”, pointing out that a planned session in September could not take place due to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
He added: “The Government tried to move forward and we will come back to the bill very shortly.”
The message was backed up by environment secretary Thérèse Coffey during an appearance before the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee, where she said it was her understanding “we absolutely will be proceeding with the bill”.
But Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Sammy Wilson said he could not accept the time argument, given the number of days in which parliamentary business had finished early, and claimed petition supporters would be “bemused” by the delay at a time when the Government “ought to be looking for as much good will as they can obtain”.
Labour’s Justin Madders said: “Politics is often criticised for being adversarial, and while there are measures in the bill that deserve greater debate and scrutiny, the fact that its broad thrust is supported ought to mean that it is passed sooner rather than later.”
In a statement released following the debate, RSPCA head of public affairs David Bowles said the charity was “dismayed” by both the Government’s reluctance to commit to a new date for the bill and recent moves to drop proposals to ban the import of foie gras and fur products.
He also highlighted the findings of a ComRes poll conducted in October, which indicated strong public support for many of the key measures in the bill.
He added: “The Kept Animals Bill must be given priority so that practices such as the live exports of animals for slaughter, keeping primates as pets and the cruel puppy import trade become consigned to history as soon as possible.
“We fear that without quick, meaningful action on the Kept Animals Bill, the UK Government’s policy agenda for animal welfare is on the verge of complete collapse.”
But Mr Spencer said significant progress had already been made in the area and the Kept Animals Bill was only one element of what he called the Government’s “ambitious plans to improve animal welfare standards at home and abroad”.
BVA president Malcolm Morley said he was encouraged by the level of cross-party support for the bill in the debate as he renewed his organisation’s call for action.
He said: “This is a vital piece of legislation that will address some of the most pressing animal health and welfare issues we’re seeing in the veterinary profession.
“The bill was set out in the Conservative Party manifesto, and so we urge the Government to deliver on its commitment, ensuring its rapid progression through Parliament and into law so it can bring significant positive change for the pets, livestock and wildlife in the UK.”
The debate also saw renewed concerns raised about the threat to medicine supplies posed by the deadlock over the Northern Ireland Protocol, as the 31 December deadline for a resolution looms large.
Several organisations, including the BVA, have warned the supply of as many as half of the products available to vets there are at risk if no solution is found.
DUP MP Ian Paisley said: “That threat must be urgently addressed by His Majesty’s Government before our animals in Northern Ireland are placed in any further danger.”
