7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on plans to update the existing animal welfare codes of practice in Wales? OAQ52289

Thank you. The updated welfare codes for dogs and horses are due to be laid before the Senedd this summer. Codes for laying hens, broilers, pigs, cats and rabbits are the next to be updated. I will provide an update on other animal welfare issues in my oral statement next Tuesday.

Thank you for the reply, Minister. Fifteen European countries have already introduced bans on keeping primates as pets, for either all or some species. In October 2016, RSPCA Cymru called on the Welsh Government to join those 15 countries and introduce the ban in Wales. When will the Cabinet Secretary be in a position to announce her plans to update the existing animal welfare codes of practice, and will she commit to ban the keeping of primates as pets in Wales, please?

The Member will have heard me say I'm making an oral statement next Tuesday, and I will be referring to primates in my oral statement.

Thank you.

The current code of practice on the rearing of birds for shooting purposes is eight years' old, contains no minimum space requirements for game birds, and is not backed up by any independent statutory inspections to check compliance, unlike the welfare codes for other birds such as chickens. Can the Cabinet Secretary say when action will be taken to independently monitor the enforcement of the code to ensure the welfare of these birds?

I can't give you a specific date when that will be done. We are looking at all the codes of practice right across the portfolio, and the priorities for which we do first is something we are working on alongside the stakeholders. So, I will certainly have a look at the plan that we have, and I will write to the Member.FootnoteLink

Information further to Plenary

Last month the UK Parliament received signatures of 143,000 from a petition from supporters campaigning to ban the sale of puppies from pet shops and other third-party dealers. The campaign has been named 'Lucy's law', in memory of a rescue cavalier King Charles spaniel called Lucy, who was used as a breeding machine at a puppy farm with no regard for her welfare, and that campaign has cross-party support. Lucy's law will help to eradicate irresponsible breeding and selling, particularly from puppy farms, as it makes it illegal to sell puppies unless the mother is present. Cabinet Secretary, is Lucy's law something that Welsh Government may consider looking to introduce in Wales?

Thank you, Joyce Watson, for the question. Again, this is an area—third-party sales—that I will be bringing forward in my oral statement next Tuesday. I know there's going to be an event that a Member's sponsoring around Lucy's law in the Senedd, I think early in July. I've been very concerned since I've been in this portfolio to see the high demand among people wanting third-party sales. I think it's very important that we tackle this. So, I will bring forward further information in the statement on Tuesday.