Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly for Wales
Y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, Amgylchedd a Materion Gwledig | Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee
Fframweithiau cyffredin y DU ar amaethyddiaeth a’r amgylchedd | UK common frameworks on agriculture and environment
UK 02
Ymateb gan : Gwarchod Cathod
Evidence from : Cats Protection
1. In which policy areas, within the remit of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, are legislative and non-legislative common frameworks needed? Does the provisional assessment published by the UK Government set out an appropriate approach and is it complete? Do you have any specific concerns about the proposed categorisation?
1.1 Cats Protection is writing in relation to the proposals for the policy area animal health and traceability which has an impact on animal welfare. The charity thinks that it would be beneficial for this area of policy, specifically the pet passport scheme and prevention of disease (animals entering the UK), to be subject to a legislative common framework arrangement.
1.2 Cats Protection believes that this approach is appropriate as it will ensure the same checks for animals, especially cats, are in place across the whole of the UK for animals coming in, which can help to prevent the spread of disease. A legislative common framework arrangement could allow the pet passport scheme to be enhanced across the whole of the UK once we leave the EU and ensure standards are raised consistently.
1.3 Cats Protection is calling for cats to be required to be treated for tick and tapeworm prior to entry to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases. Currently the UK is classified as being free of the zoonotic tapeworm Echinococcus multlocularis. However, there is significant prevalence of tapeworm in cats in central European countries such as France, Switzerland and Germany. Without compulsory tapeworm treatment of animals entering the UK, this dangerous parasite could become endemic in the UK. Ticks from outside the UK may also carry diseases that are not endemic in the UK’s cat yet such as babesiosis and ehrlichiosis.
1.4 Cats Protection also wants there to be a requirement for a rabies antibody titre testing of all cats obtaining a passport as part of any UK scheme on pets entering the UK following Brexit and the 12 week waiting period between the antibody test and entry into the UK reinstated. This would help protect the UK from a rabies outbreak, thereby protecting public health. It would mean that young kittens cannot come in to the country legally; most would be about 6 months old after the waiting period as vaccination cannot take place until they are 12 weeks of age. This will help to decrease the number of kittens coming into the UK and make it more obvious if they were being smuggled in.
1.5 It would be easier for these measures to be implemented consistently across the whole of the UK if animal health and traceability was subject to a legislative common framework arrangement.
2. How should both the legislative and non-legislative frameworks be developed and implemented?
2.1 So far as the legislative framework is concerned, the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011 (“the 2011 Order”) makes provision for the administration and enforcement of Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 on the animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals and amending Council Directive 92/65/EEC (OJ No L 146, 13.6.2003, p1).
2.2 The Secretary of State, in relation to England and Scotland, and the Welsh Ministers, in relation to Wales, made the Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 10 of the Animal Health Act 1981 and section 2(2) of, and paragraph 1A of Schedule 2 to, the European Communities Act 1972.
2.3 Part 2 of the 2011 Order concerns the preventive health measures that apply to the movement of pet animals to Great Britain to protect against the risk of the introduction of rabies, Echinococcus multilocularis (tapeworm), Hendra disease, Nipah disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza into Great Britain.
2.4 The 2011 Order operates so as to exempt a pet dog, cat or ferret from the provisions of the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 (S.I. 1974/2211) (“the 1974 Order”) provided the pet dog, cat or ferret is brought into Great Britain on a carrier that is approved and meets all preventive health measures that are applicable to that animal.
2.5 Following Brexit, the respective Ministers will continue to have wide powers under section 10 of the Animal Health Act 1981 to make such provision, by means of orders, as they think fit for the purpose of preventing the introduction or spreading of disease into or within Great Britain and so could replace the 2011 Order with new provision along the lines suggested in response to Question 1 of the consultation (above).
2.6 Under the 1974 Order, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State, acting jointly made the 1974 Order using powers conferred on them under, amongst other pieces of legislation, the Diseases of Animals Act 1950 and the Rabies Act 1974 for the purpose of preventing the introduction of rabies into Great Britain.
2.7 Cats Protection believes that the legislative framework could be developed and implemented by the respective Ministers using powers contained in existing domestic legislation such as the Animal Health Act 1981 and the Rabies Act 1974.
3. How prescriptive should the common frameworks be and how much discretion should each administration have within the frameworks?
3.1 In relation to animal health and traceability a legislative common framework arrangement needs to ensure that there is consistent policy across the whole of the UK for animals coming in to protect public health. To achieve this result the legislative common framework arrangement for this area may need to be prescriptive.
Other:
4.1 Cats Protection notes that a category of ‘animal welfare’ is also suggested to be subject to a legislative common framework arrangement and the charity would welcome more details about which areas of animal welfare will be affected, especially those relating to companion animals including cats. The charity would be specifically interested to know if the principle of animal sentience comes under this category. Cats Protection believes that the principle of animal sentience should be applied equally across the UK.