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Location: north wales(but from essex)
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 11,424
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proposed animal welfare bill by peter bryant
on saturday july 17th i attended a meeting in coventry hosted by the parrot society to discuss the draft animal welfare bill.in attendance was a representative from DEFRA who has been advising the working party.the DEFRA website carries the draft legislation and they state that promoting welfare is about how an animal ought to be housed,treated and cared for.these are matters that are considered when under exisiting laws a local authority inspector decides whether a pet shop or a riding school or an animal boarding establishment or a dog breeder should be licensed.the bill will provide DEFRA with an opportunity to modernise these laws (1911 and 1951 acts)and to consider bringing other keepers of animals within the licensing system.promoting welfare also needs to be underpinned through welfare codes for different animal types e.g a reptile code or a dog code,that stem directly from the welfare offence as defined in the bill.these codes will be put in place to help guide animal keepers and will also assist enforcement agencies when it is necessary to the way that an animal is being cared for.the first part of the secondary legislation to ake a significant impact on the public will be our proposals to improve the existing legislation relating to riding scools and dog and cat boarding establishments.this first tranche will also include the regulation of pet shops and pet fairs.
TIMETABLE FOR THE SECONDARY LEGISLATION
the intention is that the secondary legislation under the bill will be introduced in two tranches
ossible first tranche(within a year of the bill recieving royal assent)will include pet shops and pet fairs.possible second tranche(by the end of the decade)animal sancturies,performing animals,racing greyhounds,dog breeding.the animal welfare bill.pet or animal fairs and pet shops.this is entirely new legislation.private/member only events run by hobbylists should be allowed to take place without licensing.exhibition shows where the principal activity is competitive showing and no commerical trading should be allowed to take place without licensing.hobbyist open shows where there is commerical trading should be licensed.commerical animal fairs run by commercial interests where there is commerical trading should be licenced.all pet or animal fairs-whether regulated or not should abide by a code of practice.the pet or animal fair licence would be distinct from a pet shop license.the competency level required from managers of pet shops will be raised.written advice addressing the welfare needs of the animal being sold will be made avalible to buyers at pet or animal fairs and pet shops.
in short the proposals will mean that private meetings of organisations to which the public are not admitted will not need to be licensed.exhibition shows where there is a showing element but no commerical traders selling animal or bird,which are open to the public,and members of other organisations may need a licence but exemptions may apply.licences will be required for open shows and commerical animal fairs where commerical sales take place.
in short i do not believe there is anything to fear from this new draft legislation,DEFRA accept that most organisations are reputable and have the welfare of birds and animals firmly in their mind.if you are interested then you can see the draft legislation on the DEFRA website and if you have any views you forward them direct to DEFRA