Wales must go further on animal welfare laws

Mike Hedges – MS for Swansea East

How we treat animals is a sign of the type of society we are and want to be. If we allow animals to be mistreated either via ignorance or cruelty, then it reflects badly on us as a society. We must remember that evidence from multiple scientific studies has helped us to understand that a wide range of animals are sentient beings. This means they have the capacity to experience positive and negative feelings such as pleasure, joy, pain, and distress.

Progress has been made in recent years in Wales, we have passed a law on wild animals in circuses, one on banning snares and making it compulsory for CCTV to be installed in all areas where live animals are unloaded, kept, handled, and stunned.

It is now illegal for a commercial seller to sell a puppy or kitten they have not bred themselves at their own premises and they must ensure the mother is present. Puppies and kittens can only be purchased from where they were bred or from a rescue or rehoming centre. Substantial progress has been made but there is a lot still to be done.

Greyhounds

In June 2023, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain released its annual injury and retirement data. These new statistics show that 4,354 injuries were sustained at licensed tracks across England, while 244 racing greyhounds died in 2022 for reasons including the cost of veterinary treatment, euthanasia at tracksides or after being designated unsuitable for rehoming.

Wales only has one licensed greyhound track in Caerphilly borough, and I am pleased, having campaigned for several years, that the Welsh Government has now committed to greyhound racing  being phased out entirely, as the risk of death and injury posed to racing greyhounds has no place in a modern Wales.

Where do we need to go next? I suggest microchipping cats, no tethering of horses, training people before they can own a rabbit and banning the private ownership of primates.

Cats are roaming animals; that is why it is important to ensure that cats are microchipped in case they get lost or killed.

Urgent

Cats can be microchipped by most vets for between £20 and £30, and for those on lower incomes and means-tested benefits, additional support is available from charities such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Cats Protection, but still not all cats are being microchipped. The Welsh Government needs to act on compulsory microchipping of cats as a matter of urgency.

I do not believe that horse owners set out to mistreat their horse but unfortunately ignorance can lead to suffering. It is important that horses are not left tethered for long periods of time.

The Welsh Government’s Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses notes that tethering is ‘not a suitable method of management of an animal,’ explicitly stating that ‘tethering should never be used as a long-term measure to control horses as this can lead to a failure to meet a horse’s basic welfare needs.

Tethered

However, in many instances, such statements are not acting as a deterrent to horses being tethered for long periods of time on areas with little grass, no shelter and little or no water which affects the welfare of the horse.

The prevalence of poor tethering practices in Wales suggests that the Code of Practice’s reference to this issue is not effective, and I am asking the Welsh Government to conduct a project to examine more stringent guidance, change in enforcement practices and a change in legislation to better discourage and deter long-term tethering of horses.

Owning and caring for a rabbit is great fun and very rewarding, but it is also a big responsibility and a long-term caring and financial commitment, it is the owner’s responsibility to make sure that its needs are met, whatever the circumstances.

I believe before anyone is sold a rabbit, they should undertake a short online course on how to look after the rabbit culminating in an online test. The law requires that you must take reasonable steps to ensure that it has a suitable environment to live in; has a healthy diet; is able to behave normally; has appropriate company; and is protected from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.

Primates

I am opposed to individuals keeping primates such as monkeys as pets but as a minimum I supports the creation of specific rules regarding the keeping of primates. Estimates suggest 120 primates are currently kept as pets in Wales. RSPCA Cymru has welcomed an announcement from the Welsh Government which could pave the way for major restrictions being placed on the keeping of primates as pets in Wales.

We need the Welsh Government implement a legally enforceable code, if we cannot ban their private ownership then we need a statutory code with tough penalties to protect monkeys that are kept as pets.

RSPCA Cymru polling found that 72 per cent of people in Wales support a ban of the keeping of all primates as pets. I agree with the RSPCA that that primate ownership in a domestic setting is both cruel and dangerous and I call on the Welsh Government to outlaw this practice.