Review of animal welfare legislation

WQ.211/2020

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. MARTIN

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 2nd JUNE 2020

Question

Further to the response to Written Question 175/2020, will the Minister –

1. advise which specific areas of the Animal Welfare (Jersey) Law 2004 have been reviewed to date and what progress had been made before the Covid-19 pandemic began;
2. state whether the project of reviewing the Law includes consideration of the welfare of wild animals, as well as those used for animals, recreation and companionship;
3. advise whether the work undertaken to date will be used when the review recommences and, in that regard, whether it will be used to bring forward amendments to the legislation in tranches;
4. provide details of the timetable for the review that had initially been planned;
5. re-consider whether to re-start the review before the Covid-19 pandemic passes and state whether this is the only business as usual' project to have been impeded in this way; and
6. state whether officers working on the review of the Law have been seconded onto working groups or projects related to the Covid-19 pandemic or Brexit and, if so, how many and what work has been undertaken, if any, to compensate for the reduction in resources allocated to the review of the Law?

Answer

1. Before March this year, all areas of the Animal Welfare (Jersey) Law 2004 had been reviewed. The Natural Environment team are currently reviewing draft five of a new law and are currently at the stage of considering penalties. For example, issuing improvement notices, assisting animals in distress and if aspects of Lucy's Law'[1] in the UK are required in Jersey;
2. The welfare of wild animals is currently being reviewed as part of the drafting of a new Wildlife (Jersey) Law. The work on this new law is being progressed in parallel with the review of the Animal Welfare (Jersey) Law 2004;
3. Yes, the work undertaken to date forms draft five of the new law and will continue to be the basis for ongoing work;
4. There is not a specific timetable for this work. The work is progressed in tandem with the other duties of officers as and when time allows;
5. As stated in the response to written question 175/2020, the review (as well as most other work) has been impeded but it is still ongoing, albeit at a slower rate. Business as usual work in all areas will have been impacted and resources are being managed and allocated as available. It should be noted that secondary legislation has also been drafted to cover licensed activities; prohibited activities; and exempted prohibited activities. It should be noted that the Animal Welfare (Calves) (Jersey) Order 2020 has already been made;

6. Officers have been redeployed to assist with the Government's COVID-19 response where appropriate as well as assisting with the Island's preparation for Brexit. Work in both these areas will have affected all officers in the Natural Environment team in some way. No specific work has been undertaken to compensate for this impact as the team will have been required to respond dynamically to manage and prioritise business as usual as well as allocate resources to other areas deemed necessary and/or urgent. It should be noted that this requirement for dynamism will have not only affected this team, but rather the government as a whole considering the current circumstances.