My Lords, my Amendments 35 and 40 follow on neatly from the remarks of the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman. As I mentioned at Second Reading, there is no doubt that the gene editing of animals will allow us to do some real good in the animal kingdom, in a way that would otherwise take decades of trial and error, through random mutations and with hundreds of field experiments having to be eliminated. Equally, it is just possible that some breeders might see this as an opportunity to breed animals that can better tolerate the cheap and inhumane conditions these breeders might see as a shortcut to greater profit. In my view, it goes without saying that no real farmers think like this.
There is no reason to suppose that gene editing should lead to bad breeding more than the random mutations that have gone before. However, as I said at
Second Reading, if we are making it easier to make changes in breeding practices, let us take this opportunity to ensure that we promote only the best traits and that our animals and their progeny do not suffer in any way as a result of either them or their descendants being bred to survive poor husbandry.
The same applies to companion animals. We do not, for example, have a very good record on what we have done to the wolf: breeding ever smaller dogs; dogs that can hardly breathe because of their squashed noses; dogs whose eyes sometimes fall out of their sockets; and dogs who are bred for their bad tempers and fighting ability. All are not good examples, which, to my mind, we can well do without.
So we want to make sure that this welfare advisory body, whoever it may be, has specific responsibilities to examine the future quality of life of any relevant animal and its future progeny in the long term—both in the home and on the farm—and not to issue a licence if there is any risk at all that the genetic changes being proposed could result in future discomfort or distress to the relevant animal or its progeny. I hope that my two amendments, ensuring the broadening of the remit of the welfare advisory body on the face of the Bill, will be sufficient to prevent the possibility of a blinkered approach by this so-called welfare advisory body.
While I am on my feet, I want to touch on Amendment 50 in the name of the noble Baronesses, Lady Parminter and Lady Jones. It very much goes along with my thinking, because it seems to me that the clauses relating to the treatment and breeding of animals do not aspire to be effective legislation. The noble Baroness, Lady Parminter, used the word “scanty” or “scantiness”; “wishy-washy” was the adjective that came to my mind. In particular, the make-up and role of this welfare advisory body leave a lot to be desired. There are no real details as to who might be on it, what its budget might be or the full extent of its powers.
In thanking the noble Baronesses, I hope that, even if he does not like the details of this amendment, the Minister will agree to meet a few of us before Report to thrash out some sort of government commitment to getting more detail about this welfare advisory body in the Bill.