Hansard

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 Government has been able to deliver or support many groundbreaking and innovative improvements in that area.

As for the timings, regardless of the speeches that were made by Tim Eagle and Rhoda Grant, the Scottish Government has not missed a single deadline but was subjected to delays in the UK Government’s process.

Many of us have been appalled by the conditions in which too many dogs, cats and ferrets have been brought into the country by unscrupulous actors. The health and welfare of those animals is often shockingly poor. They are usually purchased by well-intentioned donors who then find themselves caring for sick animals and saddled with high vet bills or, worse, incurably ill pets who have to be euthanised, causing much distress. As the Parliament knows, I have been just as susceptible to the entreaty of a family who fell in love with an animal that came from a suspect background, and I know all too well the upset that arose when that pet had to be put down.

These issues have been a concern for welfare groups and the Government for some time. However, it has always been clear that GB-wide action was needed to avoid the backdoor entry of sick and mutilated animals into the country. The Government had indicated support for the bill on the two previous occasions that it was proposed in the UK Parliament, and we were extremely disappointed that it failed due to upheaval in the UK Government at that time. We are therefore pleased that the bill has been introduced again and we strongly urge members to support it and to allow a UK-wide approach to tackling this horrendous trade, which perpetuates an industry of poor-welfare companion animals.

Legislative consent processes such as this show what we can achieve when Parliaments and Governments work together on a cause of common concern and interest for, and to the benefit of, Scotland’s people, communities and, in this case, animals. I reiterate that the bill respects devolved competence. However, if we were in an independent country, we would not need this LCM.

I urge members to back the motion and grant legislative consent to the relevant clauses in the bill.