Animal Welfare Bill

moved Amendment No. 5:"Page 2, line 16, at end insert—" ““(   )   For the purposes of this Act, a person does not relinquish responsibility of an animal by reason only of abandoning it.”” The noble Baroness said: In tabling this amendment about abandonment, I think that I am raising a subject that the Minister will say is covered adequately in the Bill either by Clause 3(2) or by Clause 9. However, following the repeal of the Abandonment of Animals Act 1960, the inclusion of a duty of care in the Bill details both the abandonment and consequential offence much less. For that reason, I want to explore the issue with the Minister. Abandoning an animal constitutes a quite different offence from failing to provide for all its needs. At present, the Bill does not reflect clearly enough that distinction, which it might take a court case to draw out. However, in scrutinising the Bill, we are trying to avoid things having to go to court because they are not clear in the legislation. Abandonment is much more than passive neglect, so it merits being highlighted as a deliberate, stand-alone provision in the Bill. I beg to move.