Animal Welfare Bill

I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Dholakia, for speaking to his Amendment No. 159, which we support. I hear what the Minister says. I am grateful to him, and I am glad that this is already in the Animal Health Act. However, the Bill updates 20 different Acts, and it seems foolish not to have the provision in the Bill, even in another form of words. I will quite happily take away the challenge that the Minister has given us, because much of the regulation—I do not have the Act in front of me, so I cannot say for certain—probably refers to farm animals rather than to companion animals. The Bill obviously deals predominantly with companion animals, but overlaps with farm animals. I have no difficulty with that, but given the increasing incidence of zoonosis—I am afraid that my noble friend is no longer in his place, because he would have been able to help us a little more on this—the risk of diseases going from animal to animal and from animal to humans is much greater than it was back in 1981. I will carefully consider what the Minister has said. The matter is so important that it should somehow be included in the Bill, but I will not quibble about it today. I am grateful for his opening remarks, because we should all be aware that those constables and inspectors, who probably had nothing at all to do with the original Act, are very well aware of the need for biosecurity measures at all levels. The Minister—I shall have to read Hansard carefully—referred to farms, but we are talking about not only farms but houses, commercial pets that are farmed, farm animals and companion animals. I thank him and the noble Lord, Lord Dholakia, and I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 19 agreed to.