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Animal Welfare Act

Volume 455: debated on Tuesday 16 January 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to announce a timetable for secondary legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006; and if he will make a statement. (114521)

During the passage of the Animal Welfare Act through Parliament, the noble Lord Rooker and I made a number of commitments for the introduction of secondary legislation. The following table outlines in full our intended timetable for the introduction of secondary legislation:

Issue

Proposed timetable

Mutilations

Regulations by April 2007 (to be introduced at same time as Act comes into force)

Tail Docking

Regulations by April 2007 (to be introduced at same time as Act comes into force)

Racing Greyhounds

Regulations by 2008

Pet Fairs

Regulations by 2008

Primates as Pets

Code of Practice by 2008

Wild Animals in Circuses

Regulations by 2008

Cat Code

Code of Practice by 2008

Dog Code

Code of Practice by 2008

Pet shops

Regulations and possible Code of Practice by 2008

Game Birds

Draft code of practice by end 2008 Coming into force 2009

Animal (dog and cat) Boarding

No commitment1

Tethering of horses

No commitment1

Riding Schools

No commitment1

Livery Yards

No commitment1

Animal Sanctuaries

No commitment1

Performing Animals

No commitment1

1 These regulations and codes will be introduced as soon as possible in line with available resources. Bringing any other issues forward may have a detrimental effect where commitments have already been given.