Animal Welfare Bill

It is true, and farmers in Wales and Northern Ireland had some of their money in December as well. There is an issue here. We are required anyway to provide for the powers that are necessary to enforce European law. This clause will, among other things, provide the powers of entry with regard to slaughter and welfare during transport, which Clause 27 does not cover. There is a bit of an overlap there. Fully implementing the EC obligations involves implementing enforcement requirements. There is no argument about that. That is the way we go about it. Clause 28 is there to ensure that inspectors will have access to premises for the purpose of checking whether Community obligations have been complied with. The clause follows the precedent of Section 64A of the Animal Health Act 1981, so we can fully implement the European obligations concerning animal health. The Act highlights the need for a specific power to deal with this area of evolving European interest. We think the power of entry is proportionate. It does not extend to private dwellings. There is no power to apply to a court for a warrant to enter private dwellings under this clause. The power is not synonymous with the power to inspect the farming premises. Not all European Commission law relates to farm animals. One would need a power such as this to inspect vehicles transporting animals, and to inspect abattoirs and slaughterhouses where the implementation of these European obligations will be brought under the Bill in future. In addition, future EC law might cover a wider range of circumstances than it does now. For example, there might come a time when there are common European standards set for zoo premises. In none of these situations are the premises agricultural, nor are the animals concerned necessarily being farmed. In considering the necessity of the power, we just have to bear in mind that there is a wider need than just on farming premises. That is the reason why there is a separate clause. There are concerns that Clause 28 is another power that could be exercised on farming premises on a separate occasion from farm inspections, but, as I have outlined with regard to Clause 27, it is an issue of delivery, not of power. The Community obligations do not relate only to farms. It is vital that we have a separate power for inspections to deal with the other situations where we still have to comply with EC law, and to be monitored on premises that are other than farming premises. That is basically the reason. I will be happy to come back on Report if there are any amendments.