Guy Nathan: Animal Welfare Amendment Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGuy Nathan: Animal Welfare Amendment Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 27 August 2013. Volume:693;Page:13053. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon NATHAN GUY (Minister for Primary Industries): I moveThat the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate that the Primary Production Committee considers the bill.New Zealanders are passionate about animal welfare. Animals whether they are domestic wild or in agricultural production are important to our way of life and we care deeply about the way animals are treated. Animals matter to us personally. Around 68 percent of New Zealand households have at least one pet. Not only is animal welfare important to us here in New Zealand but also it plays a vital part in our export brand around the world. Each year around 50 percent of our export earnings come from animals and animal products. We pride ourselves on our assurance to the world that we have high standards of animal welfare. Isolated cases of poor animal welfare can have a very negative impact on our reputation as a responsible agricultural producer.New Zealand has a strong animal welfare system but we cannot afford to be complacent. It has been 14 years since the Animal Welfare Act was passed and a review of this Act is long overdue. Last year under my predecessor the Rt Hon David Carter the Act was reviewed. The review found that the principles and policy underpinning the Animal Welfare Act remain sound but that the enforceability clarity and transparency of the Act needed to be improved. The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill has been introduced to do exactly that. The bill is about making a strong system even stronger.I would like to highlight some of the specific changes in the bill. Two key objectives of the bill are to provide for clear and enforceable standards of animal welfare and to broaden the range of enforcement tools. Clearly minimum standards and codes of welfare are not directly enforceable. This bill will provide for new regulations that will complement codes of welfare by establishing specific and enforceable mandatory standards. Currently the enforcement tools in the Act are limited especially for low to medium level offending. New enforcement tools will allow animal welfare inspectors to address all offending against animals at a level that is appropriate to the seriousness of the crime. To strengthen the Act’s enforceability the bill also provides for a new tiered enforcement scheme made up of existing offences in the Act lower-level offences and regulations infringement notices and compliance orders.The Act as it stands has no specific requirements for exporting animals. This bill will enable the Government to establish new mandatory standards and regulations forexporting live animals. This will give exporters more certainty and will enable the Government to enforce requirements more easily to help protect New Zealand’s reputation as a responsible exporter. The bill will not change the Government’s policy of prohibiting live exports for slaughter but it will enable the prohibition to be implemented under the Animal Welfare Act instead of the Customs and Excise Act. All of the regulations to be developed following the passing of the bill will be subject to further consultation at that time.This bill resolves the current uncertainty around the ill-treatment of wild animals. The bill will clarify that conduct towards an animal in the wild that goes beyond generally accepted hunting or killing practice is an offence. The new offence will target acts of wilful or reckless ill-treatment but will not affect ordinary hunting fishing and pest management practices. The bill also makes it explicit that the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee may consider the practicality and economic impact when developing minimum standards and codes of welfare. These factors will not be able to override animal welfare considerations but making them explicit in the Act will ensure that minimum standards are realistic and achievable.I also know that some will focus in this debate on the testing of party pills on animals. This focus was inevitable following the recent passing of the Psychoactive Substances Act. The Animal Welfare Act places strict controls on the use of animals in research testing and teaching. Organisations using animals in research testing or teaching must follow an approved code of ethical conduct that sets out the policies and procedures that need to be followed by the organisation and its animal ethics committee. If the trial cannot demonstrate to the animal ethics committee that its benefits justify any harm to the animals involved then the trial will not take place.In summary this bill will strengthen an already well-performing animal welfare system and will ensure that New Zealanders can remain proud of the way we treat our animals. I commend this bill to the House.