6. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's review into dog breeding laws? OQ57000

Thank you. The Government’s response to the review was published on 4 March 2020. To address the recommendations, officials are working closely with local authorities on tackling barriers to enforcement, enhanced training, better guidance and improved use of resources within local authorities, as part of a three-year Welsh Government-funded project.

Can I thank the Minister for the answer, and actually welcome some of the recommendations that you mention and have been taken up by the Welsh Government? However, one of the recommendations not yet taken up was an accredited or graded system for dog breeders, which was described as a,

'system of assigning scores to breeding establishments based on existing licensing inspections'.

To me, this is a no-brainer. It would bring much-needed consumer confidence to those looking to purchase dogs and increase the reputation of those that follow the rules. It would ensure puppies are healthy and looked after before leaving for their new owners. So, with this in mind, what further consideration has the Welsh Government given to this recommendation to protect not only dogs but their breeders and customers too, by introducing a scoring system for breeding establishments?

Thank you. It is something I am currently considering as part of the animal welfare plan. So, I've asked officials—the chief veterinary officer and her officers—to look at a five-year animal welfare plan for Wales so that we can build on the progress that we've made on animal welfare, certainly over the past 16 or so years, and my plan is to introduce an animal welfare plan later this year that will look at what we should do for the next five years of this Government. This is certainly something I'm considering within that. I think there's a broad range of policies we need to bring forward, not just about dogs, but I think if we are going to maintain the momentum that we have, because I think we have very, very high animal welfare standards in Wales, we need to look at that momentum of reform, and the plan will absolutely do that.