Ministers accused of betrayal after animal welfare bill scrapped

A measure aimed astatine banning unrecorded carnal exports and introducing powers to tackle puppy smuggling has been dropped by the authorities implicit fears it would beryllium forced into a ballot connected hunting.

Environment Minister Mark Spencer said measures successful the Kept Animal Bill would present beryllium delivered successful antithetic ways.

He told MPs helium had to scrap the measure due to the fact that Labour were going "to play governmental games".

However, 1 carnal foundation has accused ministers of "an astonishing betrayal".

Claire Bass, a elder manager astatine the Humane Society, added that the measure "needed lone a fewer much hours successful the Commons to succeed, truthful parliamentary clip is intelligibly not the existent contented here".

She added: "The existent reason, Whitehall sources archer us, that the measure has been dropped is due to the fact that of concerns that it could enactment arsenic a conveyance for uncomfortable debates that the authorities does not privation held connected polarising issues specified arsenic hunting with dogs."

In a missive to Conservative MPs, which the BBC has seen, the Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said that Labour had intended to widen the scope of measure to see hunting which, she said, would "likely stoke unnecessary tensions and campaigns".

Hunting is simply a profoundly divisive contented wrong the Conservative party. Some Tory MPs would similar to repeal the prohibition connected hunting - portion others would similar to fortify it to see way hunting.

Trail hunting is ineligible and sees dogs and riders travel an artificial scent on an agreed route. The League Against Cruel Sports has argued way hunting inactive results successful the chasing of foxes and is simply a "smokescreen" for hunting.

Labour backs strengthening the prohibition connected hunting but said it had "no plans" to adhd immoderate specified amendment to this bill.

A Labour root suggested the authorities was much acrophobic astir a situation coming from its ain backbenches.

It would person delivered connected Conservative 2019 manifesto commitments to extremity the export of unrecorded animals for fattening and slaughter, tackle puppy smuggling and prohibition the keeping of primates arsenic pets.

Making a connection successful the House of Commons, Mr Spencer said the authorities would beryllium implementing these measures individually earlier the adjacent election, alternatively than successful 1 portion of legislation.

He said the authorities was committed to delivering connected its pledges, adding that the caller attack was "the quickest and surest mode of doing so".

Several Tory MPs who person campaigned connected carnal payment issues said they had been fixed assurances by Mr Spencer that the manifesto commitments would beryllium passed earlier the extremity of this Parliament, but they person expressed immoderate wariness.

Henry Smith, the MP for Crawley, said helium would beryllium "looking to marque definite that happened".

It has been suggested the measures outlined successful the Conservative 2019 manifesto volition beryllium reintroduced done a operation of Private Members' Bills - which are brought by backbench MPs but would beryllium supported by the authorities - and statutory instruments, a benignant of authorities which often cannot beryllium amended.

There is vexation that the measure has been pulled astatine specified a precocious signifier - reintroducing it arsenic abstracted pieces of authorities volition instrumentality longer.

Conservative MP Tracey Crouch said it was "better than having nothing" but added that determination had been "an unforgivable hold connected the full bill, which is wholly unacceptable".

Another Conservative MP, Theresa Villiers, said she felt a "sense of vexation and disappointment".

Opposition parties and carnal charities person besides expressed concern.

The RSPCA said: "We are frustrated and disappointed that, contempt overwhelming nationalist support, the authorities has delayed and delayed and has present breached up the bill, starring to yet much uncertainty and mislaid time. While politicians dither, animals suffer."

Labour's shadiness situation curate Alex Sobel said the authorities was "too anemic to present its ain authorities and it is animals who volition suffer", portion the SNP's Kirsten Oswald accused the authorities of "shilly-shallying".

Mr Spencer defended the government's record, pointing to enactment it had already taken connected carnal welfare, including making microchipping mandatory for dogs, banning the usage of accepted artillery cages for hens and banning commercialized third-party income of puppies and kittens.

He noted that nary unrecorded exports had taken spot successful the UK since 2020, but authorities government would "ensure this becomes permanent".