Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 25 June 2025
25 Jun 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill
I do not believe that the facts that have been laid out explain why the LCM came so late to our committee. If we are to carry out our role as parliamentarians, we must scrutinise all legislation, no matter how well meaning. We need to find a better way of processing this type of legislation, to allow the Parliament to carry out that role properly. I hope that the Scottish Government will now take on board the committee’s concerns and take steps to deal with the matter, to ensure that it never happens again.
That does not alter the fact that the legislation provides the opportunity to improve animal welfare and discourage the illegal trade in animals. I therefore urge the Parliament to support it.
21:27In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-18077, in the name of Jim Fairlie, on the legislative consent motion for the Animal Welfare (Import of Do...
The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity (Jim Fairlie)
SNP
Despite the lateness of the evening, I am pleased to be leading for the Scottish Government in this discussion of a positive legislative consent memorandum t...
Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I appreciate that it is late, so I will not take up a lot of time. The minister will be aware that I have done a lot of work over the years on the issue of p...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
I will come to that issue as I go through my comments. In the interests of pragmatism, the Scottish Government is working with other UK Administrations to i...
Tim Eagle (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
The Covid pandemic highlighted an already well-known issue relating to the legal import of dogs, cats and ferrets into the UK. During the pandemic, such impo...
Beatrice Wishart (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
I think that Tim Eagle is about to come on to the point of principle that Finlay Carson raised earlier today. There should have been more time for the bill t...
Tim Eagle
Con
I absolutely agree with Beatrice Wishart. I want to be careful, because my colleague Finlay Carson made a good point on the issue earlier. The bill is a real...
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
The UK Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill proposes to make puppy and kitten smuggling more difficult by banning the import of puppies and...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
I refute the fact that the Government has become defensive. I say to the member that what we are doing is laying out the facts as they happened for us as wel...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
I do not believe that the facts that have been laid out explain why the LCM came so late to our committee. If we are to carry out our role as parliamentarian...
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
Presiding Officer, I declare an interest as convener of the cross-party group on animal welfare and thank you for allowing me this short contribution. I spe...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
Improving the lives of Scotland’s animals is something that I am strongly committed to, and I have been pleased that, over the past few years, this Governmen...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
That concludes the debate on the legislative consent motion for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, which is UK legislation.