Animal Welfare Bill

moved Amendment No. 13: After Clause 11, insert the following new clause- ““PET FAIRS (1) A person commits an offence if he- (a) sells an animal in the course of or in connection with a pet fair, (b) arranges a pet fair, or (c) knowingly participates in making, or carrying out, arrangements for a pet fair. (2) In this section, ““pet fair”” means an event- (a) which is open to the public (whether on payment or otherwise), (b) at which animals are sold (or which is held with a view to the sale of animals) as pets, and (c) where any such sale is made (or is to be made) in the course of a business. (3) In subsection (2)(c), ““in the course of a business”” does not include a non-commercial exchange of animals. (4) In this section, ““pet fair”” does not mean an event held in the ordinary course of a business that consists wholly or mainly for the keeping or selling of animals at premises ordinarily occupied for the purposes of that business. (5) For the purposes of this section- (a) ““selling”” an animal includes- (i) offering or exposing it for sale, (ii) exchanging it, or offering or exposing it for exchange, (iii) transferring, or agreeing to transfer, ownership of it in consideration of entry by the transferee into another transaction; (b) the sale of an animal ““as a pet”” includes its sale for private captivity or private husbandry, but does not include its sale for any purpose relating to agriculture.”””” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, we move on to pet fairs. I tabled the amendment partly to say that, following the Defra announcement, I commend the Minister on the decision to ban the commercial sale of animals at pet fairs. This is an important step that will contribute greatly to animal welfare. I also tabled the amendment to be able to ask the Minister a few details about the implementation of the promised regulations. First, is it the Government’s plan to institute the ban according to the timetable that he shared with us for secondary legislation? In other words, can we count on it being enforced by 2008? Secondly, will the Minister still produce by that date regulations and codes of practice for pet fairs without commercial sales or for fairs that involve poultry, carp and pigeons? Finally, will the Minister say a little more about the definition that his department will put on the word ““commercial””? It will certainly be a matter for consultation. I appreciate that because it is important to get the balance right in prohibiting events where conditions are bad and sales are for profit—the sort of fairs that the Government have it in mind to ban. But what about the genuine hobbyist events that are community events and that we on these Benches and the Government are very anxious to see continue? They should not be brought into the commercial sector in any way. In discussions which I have had with animal hobbyists it has been suggested that ““non-commercial”” can include, for example, the exchange of excess breeding stock, which ensures that the genetic pool continues to be wide, and the exchange of best practice. Those are genuine non-commercial activities. Questions arise whether they will be members-only events and how to ensure that the exchanges are between those who are genuinely concerned primarily for the animals and their hobby and not about profit. Once again I congratulate the Government on bringing forward such a definite step on pet fairs. I look forward to the Minister’s answer, and beg to move.