Animal Welfare Bill

My Lords, our debate about goldfish in Committee allowed us to have some heated debate and some lighter moments. This amendment would allow a person to completely disregard welfare when offering a goldfish as a prize. Effectively, it sets aside the core values of the Bill for one species chosen arbitrarily simply because of the fond memories held by some Members of your Lordships' House. I understand how they have managed to be very persuasive but, ultimately, the opinion of the scientists who have worked on the Bill, and whom the Minister has been very ready to quote to me this afternoon, is that vertebrate animals, including goldfish, are demonstrably sentient. We on these Benches do not feel that it would be consistent to go against that advice, however much some Members may feel us to be killjoys. I look forward to hearing the Minister's response to the amendments tabled from the Conservative Benches, which I thought raised some interesting issues.