Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 2:09 pm on 10 March 2021.
I'm pleased Mike Hedges referred to Lucy's law, although I do keep saying that we are going beyond Lucy's law; it's the third-party sales of puppies and kittens, and we will be debating that in the Senedd in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, many of the policy development work streams within my portfolio in relation to animal health and welfare have had to take a lower priority over the past 12 months, for obvious reasons, with the COVID-19 pandemic and leaving the European Union, but my officials are working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on a number of areas where it may be beneficial to have a UK approach. So, you mentioned CCTV in abattoirs, for instance. My stance on that is the same: I recognise the potential benefits, and it's not been ruled out. I am confident that we'll be able to bring forward new regulations on licensing of animal activities in Wales, and that's been the right priority focus at the time. We do have statutory codes of practice for many species of animals in Wales, both farm and domestic, and they are regularly reviewed and updated.