The five-year animal welfare plan for Wales that I launched earlier this month is ambitious and it's innovative, and it sets out how we will build on the progress we have made in relation to animal welfare since powers were devolved to Wales back in 2006. Following the election, it was something I passionately wanted to do, to have everything in one place, and to bring a range of actions together, along with our programme for government commitments, and to show that these were the things that we would be doing over the five-year term of this Government. My ambition, I think like every Member in this Chamber, is for all animals in Wales to have a good quality life, and, in pursuit of this, our plan includes the realisation of the four programme for government commitments regarding kept animal welfare, and also outlines how we will integrate a range of ongoing animal welfare policy work during this Government's term. 

The way that we treat animals I think is a really important reflection of the values of our society. Animal ownership is a privilege—it's not a right—and responsible ownership is an expectation, not an aspiration. Anyone who owns or is responsible for an animal has a legal duty to take reasonable steps to ensure its welfare needs are met. Responsible ownership begins from the moment a person first considers getting an animal. It's vital to carefully consider that commitment. With companion animals, in particular, there's always the risk of being driven by emotional and impulse purchasing. 

Each year, we run a campaign in the run-up to Christmas to remind people of the requirements of responsible ownership, #PawsPreventProtect, and this encourages people to research thoroughly the costs and the commitments involved, the suitability of the pet to their home environment, and to assure they acquire their pets from a legal and reliable source. So, again, I urge every Member in the Senedd to support and promote this campaign in the run-up to Christmas. We are mindful also of the growth in online sales, and how the prospect of a quick unregulated sale also attracts unscrupulous breeders to websites. For this reason, we support the work of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group in ensuring the advertising of pet animals for sale is done legally and ethically. 

Partnership working is absolutely key to the success of everything in the animal welfare plan for Wales. In addition to the Pet Advertising Advisory Group, we are proud of our longstanding relationship with two key groups that bring together third sector organisations—the Animal Welfare Network for Wales and the Companion Animal Welfare Group Wales, which Members have referred to. Members of these groups have been drawn from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Dogs Trust and Cats Protection, and recently attended the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee and gave evidence on animal welfare issues. There were some glowing words on how the Welsh Government already interacts with them but, of course, there's more we can do. This is why our animal welfare plan highlights the role of stakeholder working groups, because we know we cannot do this on our own.

For today's debate, and as a preface to discussing plans for the licensing or regulation of animal welfare establishments in Wales, I just want to highlight two further examples of partnership working. Firstly, we work closely with local authority enforcement agencies. The enforcement and delivery of legislation is always stronger when there is a clear and shared understanding of what is expected and why it's expected. Enforcement officers require training delivered in a consistent and coherent manner, and the officers themselves need to be recognised and valued for the fundamental role they play in ensuring the maintenance of high welfare standards.  

Secondly, our collaboration with the Animal Welfare Network for Wales led to the publication of a code of best practice for animal welfare establishments in 2020, and I think this was a really important first step. The code is voluntary, but presents excellent advice to encourage the adoption of higher standards of husbandry. So, building on this, as stated in the programme for government and our animal welfare plan, our intention is to move forward with work on the licensing of animal welfare establishments, which is something I believe the majority of people who contact me about this topic are very supportive of. So, we will consult widely to establish the number and spread of establishments involved in the rehoming and rescuing of animals, ranging from those operated by individuals or others run on a larger scale. Our collaborative work with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group will also enable us to consider the inclusion of online organisations, and this work will help ensure that future regulations are current and comprehensive and support local authorities in the oversight of this diverse sector, whose geographic distribution is very uneven across Wales.

By 2023, we will be in a position to bring forward new regulatory requirements for animal welfare establishments, to include arrangements designed to safeguard minimum training, staffing and environmental standards. We've also engaged with local authorities to train officers in the enforcement of new regulations to ensure consistency of approach. Our amendment to this evening's motion emphasises the key role of local authority enforcement and sets out our plans for the regulation of animal welfare establishments in accordance with the welfare plan, notably with reference to processes, timing and the fundamental role of working in partnership.

The achievements and actions I've outlined serve to illustrate how animal welfare and the responsible ownership of animals are priorities for the Welsh Government. To finish with a quotation from our animal welfare plan:

'Our ambition is for animal welfare in Wales to be recognised for its exemplary standards, its adoption and sharing of best practice, its engagement with key stakeholders, its development of effective, supportive and sustainable mechanisms for enforcement, its contribution to research, and its championing of education and responsible ownership for the benefit of our own and future generations.'

And I know, working together, we can achieve this. Diolch.