Young Jonathan: Animal Welfare Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeYoung Jonathan: Animal Welfare Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 05 May 2015. Volume:705;Page:3164. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth): I just find it absolutely amazing that when Opposition members speak in support of a Government bill they make such good sense. So I just want to commend Sue Moroney’s on some of her thoughts there and also—Sue Moroney: Oh be careful—be careful.JONATHAN YOUNG: Yes be careful. I have been warned to be careful. That is right. You will not get any more credit from me.The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill is a very important bill I think for most New Zealanders—well all New Zealanders—and certainly for those who have a kind consideration and thought towards animals. In fact about 70 percent of New Zealand households have a pet and I was just thinking about the pets that I have had throughout my life. I started off with tadpoles. I am sure that everybody else here might have had a tadpole in their room in a little jar with a bit of oxygen weed. Then I had guinea pigs cats and calves. I had a pet pig once called Patsy. I had lambs horses and dogs of course.All of these things I think—Sue Moroney: Horses in your bedroom?JONATHAN YOUNG: —have made me a very empathetic person. Thank you very much Ms Moroney.I think that there is some validity in the comment that the way we treat our animals is indicative of the sorts of attitudes we have towards ourselves—human beings—and it is always good to see animals treated with respect and care. I think that in our country we are horrified when we see abuse and cruelty to animals. It comes across our TV screens far too often and there is an outcry when despicable things are done. I think it is indicative of the fact that New Zealand is by and large a very decent society. So it is no wonder that we are bringing through the House this piece of legislation by and large with support right across the House wanting to improve the state and the being of animals. I am sure that there are going to be differences on some finer points—as different members have spoken about—but by and large we are together on this.One of the things that my colleague Barbara Kuriger said—she understands animals very well she being from a dairy background—was that this bill talks about the sentience of animals: their ability to feel to perceive and to experience. I think that the more science reveals this the more of an obligation there is upon humanity to deal with animals in a very humane way. I think also that the comments made by Damien O’Connor are pertinent in that we live in a world that consumes protein. So that is the other balance of it. There are some people who abhor the thought of a steak or a ham sandwich or you know sausages on a barbecue.But you would say that—Kris Faafoi: Oh!JONATHAN YOUNG: It would not be Mr Faafoi by the look of it. He is a man who would like a beautiful lamb curry no doubt and also a steak on a barbecue or a beef sandwich.But the other side of it is that we understand that animals whether they produce dairy products wool milk or meat have contributed to our way of life and to our economy here—to the point where each year around 50 percent of export earnings comes from animals and animal products. I think that is the reality. For myself whenever I go to the supermarket I always buy eggs that are free range. That is because I believe in animal welfare and also because they seem to be the biggest and the nicest eggs. I think there is something in that; that we can have not only a reputation around positive animal welfare but also products that are far superior because of it. I think people in the industry need to realise that they will not be hurt by the transition but that actually they will end up with products that are far superior. Having minimum standards is an important aspect of this.We pride ourselves on our place in the world with regard to animal welfare. There is a global charity called World Animal Protection that recently ranked 50 countries across the world on their animal welfare standards. This index placed New Zealand in first place alongside the United Kingdom Austria and Switzerland. That is good to see but we cannot afford to be complacent just because we might be top-ranking. We must always look for improvements. One of the things Mr Mallard said was that this transition away from caged hens is taking far too long—15 years. Well in the bill it is 10 years. Yes there is an opportunity for a person to apply for a one-off exemption of 5 years but for the vast majority the strong expectation is that it should take no longer than 10 years. I believe also that over that period of time you would have to have a good reason for why it was going to take that long. There is no reason why people cannot be proactive in moving ahead.It is not just legislation that controls this; it is also market appetite. It is what the market wants. Increasingly we will find not only in New Zealand but also around the world that the market is deciding its food products and the products that animals produce—milk or whatever it may be—based on ethical farming. That is the way the world is going. People are listening to that message. If they are interested in staying in business they need to listen.It has been 14 years since there was a review of the Animal Welfare Act so this bill is long overdue. It is a very important piece of legislation. This legislation will update and strengthen animal welfare in New Zealand. This bill is the result of a comprehensive review of the Animal Welfare Act 1999. It was found that although the principles of the existing legislation are sound the time is right to update and improve how it operates.In that regard I want to put a shout out there for my former parliamentary colleague from Taranaki - King Country Shane Ardern who was the chair of the Primary Production Committee. He did a tremendous amount of work on this bill. We are very pleased now to have Barbara Kuriger who is the member for Taranaki - King Country. That electorate starts in Taranaki and ends nearly in South Auckland. I think it is a nation-size electorate.Jacqui Dean: A townie.JONATHAN YOUNG: Yes that is right. And she is a townie in a dozen towns up and down our country. Barbara has a tremendous knowledge of and experience in animal welfare and it is great to have her in our caucus.Minimum standards are important. Sometimes it is a real shame that you have to legislate for minimum standards. You would hope that people would always all the time be seeking to be the best and to develop and promote excellence in their industry. But minimum standards of animal care do change over time as scientific views lift on what animal management practices are and on what is acceptable. An example of thisis of course what has recently captured the attention of New Zealanders through campaigns and that is the use of sow stalls and battery cages—both of which are being phased out. I think that is an important point to make.When transitioning from one type of farming practice to another we have to acknowledge that it is an expensive process. We have put into this bill a transitional period of time. The purists might be upset at that and they might say: “Do it tomorrow. Do it whatever the expense is. You just have to do it.” Not only do we need to consider the well-being of our farming and poultry industries but we also need to understand that the way of life that has been passed on to New Zealanders is something that we need to protect. These transitional measures are being put in place because we do expect a transition but we are not going to do it just tomorrow although we expect the industry to be proactive in this and make every effort to do it in a very timely way. Thank you.