The Countryside Alliance generally supports the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, in particular its provisions on livestock worrying and those to address the problem of the misuse of the current rules on pet movements.
We welcome the intention of the Government to use powers granted under the Bill to amend existing retained EU legislation to tackle the importation of puppies under six months old, heavily pregnant bitches, and those which have been subject to mutilations that are not legal in this country, subject to some limited but important exemptions.
We also welcome the proposed ban on the export of live animals, but suggest that the Secretary of State be granted the power to dispense with this prohibition on a temporary, emergency basis. We also believe the Government needs to ensure a network of local abattoirs so that all animals are slaughtered as close as possible to where they are born and raised. Simply banning live exports is not enough.
Our departure from the EU also provides an opportunity to ensure better food labelling so that meat, and products containing meat, labelled as British only contain meat from animals which have been born, raised and slaughtered in this country. People need to consume high welfare British meat, slaughtered locally.
You can read our briefing note in full here.