Animal Welfare Bill

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. The hour is late, we have discussed many weighty matters in the course of this afternoon and evening and I think that the House would prefer it if I kept my remarks brief. I start by acknowledging a satisfying, but not altogether common, feature of our deliberations this afternoon, this evening and over the past few weeks, which is that the Bill has benefited from substantial cross-party support. The Opposition parties did not divide the House on Second Reading, and they have played a constructive hand during the detailed consideration of the Bill. We have had a good and rational debate, and Members on both sides have made important contributions. That good atmosphere enabled the Government to listen and, I hope Members will agree, improve the Bill in several important respects. I pay tribute to all Members who participated in debates on the Floor of the House and in Committee. The debates have been conducted with good humour and in a positive spirit. I thank Members on both sides of the House, Back Benchers and others, particularly the hon. Members for Leominster (Bill Wiggin) and for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice), as well as the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) who has recently announced his, I hope, temporary retirement from his party’s Front Bench. He will be missed, particularly on issues of animal welfare. I also thank the hon. Members for North Thanet (Mr. Gale) and my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) for chairing the Committee proceedings with such skill and verve. We should also thank the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, chaired by the right hon. Member for Fylde (Mr. Jack), for its work on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. I also thank the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, my hon. Friend the Member for Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley), under whose stewardship the Bill saw its conception. I am sure that all Members of the House will acknowledge his long-standing and valuable contribution to furthering animal welfare in this country. I also acknowledge the support of the members of my team in DEFRA. They were superb. They worked long and hard hours to bring the Bill to this stage and I fear that they have more such hours ahead of them. This is an historic day for the welfare of animals in this country. I commend the Bill to the House.