Animal Welfare Bill

moved Amendment No. 12:"After Clause 4, insert the following new clause—" ““CIRCUS ANIMALS (1)   No person shall carry on the activity of training, keeping or using an animal for the purposes of, or as part of, a travelling circus. (2)   For the purpose of this section, a travelling circus is a circus which operates from no single place of establishment. (3)   A person commits an offence if he contravenes subsection (1). (4)   The appropriate national authority shall by regulations exempt particular species of animals in specific circumstances from the provisions of subsection (1). (5)   When making regulations in accordance with subsection (4), the national authority shall have regard to the individual welfare needs of the animals concerned.”” The noble Baroness said: With Clause 12 we move to a completely new issue, which my amendment proposes a new clause to deal with: circus animals. Of all the topics in the Bill that we are likely to debate, this one arouses strong feelings, both among us here and among the general public. I would not claim that all those feelings were one way. [The Sitting was suspended for a Division in the House from 4.51 until 5.01 pm.]