Animal Welfare Bill

It is certainly helpful to have this provision added to Clause 7 on the administration of poisons. The ultimate horror, which people wish to resist, is poisoned baits, which are probably banned even now and have been the cause of death in dogs. There is always the problem of the dog getting at the rat poison, either when people employ others to exterminate rats or attempt to do it themselves and do not adequately covered the baits, in which case the dogs can eat the rat poison. Those people could, and perhaps should, be charged, but at least if the Bill provides for a reasonable excuse, the court will be able to consider whether the people concerned were taking adequate precautions. On Question, amendment agreed to.