Carter David: Animal Welfare Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
Carter David: Animal Welfare Amendment Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:664;Page:12399] 
Hon DAVID CARTER (Minister of Agriculture) 
: 
 I move  
That the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill be now read a third time 
. The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill seeks to raise the penalties for animal cruelty offences and to redefine the way offences are described. It sends a very clear message that serious offending against animals is unacceptable in our society. 
First let me thank everyone who has been engaged in the development of this bill and who has worked in a cooperative manner with the Government to reach this point. The Government originally decided to adopt and prioritise this bill after it was advanced by the member of Parliament for Tauranga Mr Simon Bridges and I thank that excellent member once again for bringing this important issue to the attention of the House. I also thank those who submitted on the bill and the Primary Production Committee for diligently considering the issues that were raised. I acknowledge that the bill has received strong support from every party in the House which reflects the importance that Parliament gives to animal welfare in New Zealand. New Zealanders can rest assured that with this bill we will see improved animal welfare in this country. 
I do not propose to go through the bill again in detail but would like to briefly recap its main provisions for the benefit of the House. The bill increases the penalties for wilful ill-treatment of an animal as well as the penalties for ill-treatment and other neglect-type offences including failure to meet the physical health and behavioural needs of an animal. The maximum term of imprisonment for wilful ill-treatment of an animal will increase from 3 years to 5 years. 
The bill also expands the threshold for wilful ill-treatment of an animal—the most serious category of offending—to include serious injury to or impairment of an animal. Additionally it introduces a new offence of reckless ill-treatment of an animal alongside the existing offence of wilful ill-treatment. This will capture those offenders who might otherwise not have reached the threshold for the offence of wilful ill-treatment to apply. The bill allows the court to impose a minimum disqualification period from animal ownership in cases where serious or repeat offending has occurred. Where the court sets no minimum period a default period of 2 years applies before that disqualification can be lifted. 
Finally the bill allows for the forfeiture of any or all animals owned by the offender where the court believes that this is required for an animal’s protection. These changes will enable cases of cruelty towards animals to be prosecuted at the appropriate level. The changes show that we take cruelty towards animals seriously and send a strong message to potential offenders that animal welfare offending will simply not be tolerated in our society. 
When considering the bill the Primary Production Committee expressed concern about the perceived lack of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry animal welfare inspectors. Since becoming Minister of Agriculture I have taken prompt and positive steps to address this issue in the form of an extra $8.2 million for animal welfare activities over the next 4 years. In the first year alone this new funding will enable the ministry to double its number of full-time animal welfare inspectors. As well $1.2 million will be provided to the SPCA to support the vital role it plays in upholding animal welfare standards in our communities and I commend the work that the SPCA does. 
Animal welfare is a priority for this Government and the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill sits alongside a range of initiatives it has under way to improve compliance with animal welfare requirements in New Zealand. This bill reflects the fact that most New Zealanders find animal cruelty to be truly repugnant and want strong laws to protect our animals from harm. The Government is confident that the bill will provide a higher level of protection for animals in New Zealand than has previously been the case. 
With the legal changes brought about by this bill New Zealand can continue to uphold the highest standards of animal welfare. The bill will enable the judiciary to impose tougher sentences for serious offending and will give them the tools to protect more animals from harm. This in turn will help prevent some of the more serious offending against animals from occurring in the future. 
In conclusion the passing of this bill is not just the National-led Government acting to improve animal welfare; the entire Parliament is sending the strongest message to potential offenders that cruelty towards animals is abhorrent to society and will not be tolerated. I commend this bill to the House.