My Lords, noble Lords will be pleased to know that I will be brief. I put on record my support for Amendments 30 and 98, and for the sentiments expressed by my noble friend Lady McIntosh of Pickering. I cannot imagine what good reasons there can be for opposing this amendment. I appreciate that a number of directives and regulations will be incorporated into our law, but not this important treaty provision. As other noble Lords have already said, a hallmark of a civilised country is how one treats one’s animals, and recognition of animal sentience is key to that.
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I do not think that there is any dispute between those of us who support the Government’s amendment on that point. Immediately after the other place voted down the amendment very similar to the one we are discussing, the Government rushed to introduce a draft Bill to bring the concept of animal sentience into our domestic law. We have heard that the consultation ended in January, we have heard the views of the Select Committee in the other place, and we know that the Bill leaves much to be desired. We would therefore like the Minister, as the noble Lord, Lord Wigley, said, to tell us at what stage we will hear the Government’s consideration of the responses and the committee’s response, and, more importantly, when a Bill—not a draft Bill—will be introduced. At the time the amendment was voted down, the Government’s position appeared to be to reject as much as possible of anything derived from the European Union. But now, as all the problems of withdrawal are belatedly beginning to be recognised—we are now prepared even to participate in agencies and pay for the privilege—we can perhaps take a different view on matters of this kind.
To accept this amendment would cost nothing. As far as I can see, it needs no negotiation: we can take it on board now and build on it in future. Whether it be in the draft Bill, a revised draft Bill or another Bill, I know not. However, I know, as my noble friend Lord Deben, mentioned, that the future may be some way away, given the legislative pressures there will be on Parliament to deal with the withdrawal agreement Bill, the Bill on transition or implementation—according to your preference—to say nothing of the fishing, immigration and agriculture Bills. I accept that the Government are committed to high standards, but under pressure, amendments may be overlooked and mistakes made.
As a member of the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee of your Lordships’ House, in April 2016 I saw, with the rest of the committee, that the Government were seeking to repeal the catchily-named Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Meat Chickens and Breeding Chickens 2002 and wanted to replace it with an industry-led, voluntary code of practice. Fortunately, they had a change of heart, despite resistance and objections from the industry, and have now introduced a new statutory code, which comes into force later this month or is already in force. I draw from that the conclusion that one cannot be too careful, even if you accept the good intentions of government. I suggest that the amendment should be accepted; we have nothing to fear from it, and it will keep the Government focused on the issue in the long term as the future of EU directives and regulations becomes, in time, more and more uncertain. I hope that the Minister will feel able to accept the amendment and, if not, since the Government intend to do it—as witness their draft Bill—why not?