1. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government actions to improve animal welfare in Wales over the course of this Senedd term? OQ56805

9. What measures will the Minister propose to strengthen the protection of animals in Wales during the current Senedd term? OQ56824

Llywydd, I understand you have given your permission for questions 1 and 9 to be grouped.

There are several commitments in the Welsh Government's programme for government relating to animal health and welfare in Wales. I have also announced my intention to publish an animal welfare plan for Wales, which will span the term of this Government's office.

Thank you, Minister. I was really pleased to see Lucy's law, the ban on third-party sales of puppies and kittens, come into effect earlier this month. I want to pay tribute to all the campaigners who supported this law, and place on record my thanks to you for delivering this important intervention. Can you update Members on the engagement that has taken place with businesses, breeders, et cetera, to make sure that they're aware of and compliant with the new rules?

Thank you very much. Well, I was certainly very pleased also to see the regulations that were passed on 23 March, then followed by—. Obviously, we had that six-month transition period to ensure that pet shop owners, for instance, were able to consider a different operating model, so they could mitigate any potential impact. But I was very pleased to see the legislation come in.

Whilst the legislation doesn't allow commercial third parties to sell puppies and kittens under six months of age, it is difficult to police those breeders who breed below that threshold, so I think it's really important that we continue to ensure that our local authorities have the ability to be able to use their discretion, for instance, to look at business cases that come forward, so that they can test if breeders have bred the animals themselves or if they're selling them for someone else, because that obviously then would breach the regulations. The scope of the regulations is very clearly set out in the legislation. I thought that was really important.

We've continued to work in partnership. We haven't just sat back and waited for this legislation to come forward. We've continued to work in partnership with local authorities. You'll be aware of the enforcement pilot project that we had, and the joint working group with the Animal Welfare Network for Wales and the Companion Animal Welfare Group Wales. We worked in partnership during the drafting of those regulations. We also continue to work closely with local authorities around the project that I referred to earlier, to ensure there are no other potential barriers to enforcement. And we're once again—. In my house, we're not allowed to use the 'c' word until December, but I am going to promote that, once again, ahead of Christmas we will as a Government be promoting Paws, Prevent, Protect to make sure that purchasers really think very carefully before they purchase a pet before Christmas.

Minister, the COVID lockdown has seen a rise in the number of pets being stolen, with the result that pet abduction is to be made a criminal offence in England. Theft of a pet is currently treated as a loss of the owner's property under the Theft Act of 1968, but this does not adequately recognise the great emotional distress that this can cause to the owner, and also the pet. What action will you be taking, Minister, to keep the law on pet theft in Wales in line with England to ensure that pet owners here enjoy the same protection as those across the border? Thank you. 

The theft of pets is obviously a criminal act, and it is a reserved matter, as you say, under the Theft Act 1968. You'll be aware, I'm sure, of the pet theft taskforce that DEFRA have brought forward, so my officials have been working very closely with their counterparts in DEFRA to make sure that we can collaborate. I think we have certainly seen more cases of pet theft during the pandemic. I've got a member of my own family that's increased security at their home because of their concerns around pet theft, so I think it is really important that we continue to work collaboratively with DEFRA.

Following the saga of Geronimo, the alpaca, and all the fuss about culling one alpaca when there are 10,000 cattle being culled for the same reason in Wales every year—there are 10,000 Geronimos killed in Wales every year, to all intents and purposes—do you agree that that says a great deal about the lack of understanding that there is amongst the public in terms of the reality of bovine TB? And does it also suggest to you, perhaps, that people don't appreciate how difficult tackling TB is in Wales, and that that does mean taking difficult decisions when dealing with this disease in wild animals?

I think it's like anything in life: if you're really involved with an issue, then obviously your understanding is better. Certainly, there was a huge amount of media interest, as you say, in the case of Geronimo. It is really important that we continue to do all we can to get rid of this dreadful disease.

I will be bringing forward a refresh of the TB eradication programme. As you know, I report annually to this Chamber every year on our TB eradication programme, and I think I will be making a statement to this Chamber in November. Over the summer, I took the opportunity to meet with Glyn Hewinson, who is an academic based at Aberystwyth University, who I know Llyr Huws Gruffydd is aware of, to hear about not just the research but about vaccination for cattle, for instance. When I first met Glyn, he always told me that vaccination for cattle in relation to TB was 10 years away. We now think that's about four years away, so you can see the progress that we are making.

Anyone who has not been barred by a court can buy an animal. There are no tests for ownership, no statutory instructions of how to look after animals. Is it any surprise that so many animals are badly treated, not always because people want to badly treat them, but due to ignorance? Will the Government introduce some online instructions and tests for those seeking to buy different animals as pets, which would then have to be passed prior to purchase, so people know what they're doing when they take on an animal? And maybe sometimes they'll decide not to buy it because of the amount of work it involves.

Obviously, responsible ownership of animals is something that we have a keen interest in as a Government, and it's a priority, I know, for the Wales animal health and welfare framework group. I'm not sure testing those people who purchase animals is the right approach. I wonder who would be the target audience, for instance. I wonder who would police it. What I do think is important is that we look at regulation, we look at enforcement of animal welfare.

Last week, I attended the new Dogs Trust facility in Cardiff, where I launched the ban on commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens, and I was very interested to know—. I knew that the Dogs Trust, if you had a dog from them—if they re-homed a dog with you—they continued to offer support. What I didn't realise was that they are open to supporting anyone who takes in a re-homed pet for approximately four weeks, I think the course is. So, I think it's really important that we take advantage of schemes like that also. 

I mentioned the social media campaign that we will be running ahead of Christmas again this year; I think this will be third Christmas that we have done this. Again, I think it's really important that we remind prospective purchasers that they need to do some research before they buy their puppy or any other pets. It's really important that we work collaboratively, particularly with third sector organisations—I mentioned Dogs Trust, but we do work, obviously, with other charities and organisations—and make sure that there's really excellent information and research out there for the public to look at.