Meetings

The Committee considered an update on the petition and, in light of the information provided by the Minister for Environment that work to make The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Animal Exhibits) (Wales) Regulations 2020 has been postponed due to the impact of Covid-19 and that the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework Group will consider the giving of animals as prizes in the future, the Committee concluded that there was little further that it could achieve at this time. The Committee agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioner for bringing the issue forward.

The Committee considered further information and agreed to write back to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to:

·         ask for an update as to whether the meeting of the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Group has taken place, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ask again for clarification over the potential to address this issue through the forthcoming Regulations to introduce a licensing scheme for Animal Exhibits; and

·         share the information provided by the petitioner and the RSPCA in response to the assertions made by the Showmen’s Guild.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to:

·         ask her to consider referring this issue to the Wales Animal Health and Welfare Group for advice;

·         seek clarification over the potential to address this issue through the forthcoming Regulations to introduce a licensing scheme for Animal Exhibits; and

·         request an update when the Welsh Government has received a response from the Showmen’s Guild regarding self-regulation of this practice, including a copy of the response.