Huw Irranca-Davies - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Our Animal Welfare Plan for Wales 2021-26 was published in November 2021. It sets out how we will deliver our Programme for Government commitments and other priorities for animal welfare. Our ambition is for all animals in Wales to have a good quality of life. This is a strategic objective of our Wales Animal Health and Welfare Framework, which forms the foundations on which our five-year Animal Welfare Plan has been developed.
A report has been published on the progress we made throughout 2024 in delivering our priorities for animal welfare here in Wales. This follows earlier reports on the progress we made in 2022 and 2023.
I am proud that we continue to build on all that we have achieved so far.
We have delivered on our commitment to require CCTV in all slaughterhouses during this Government’s term. New regulations setting out what slaughterhouse operators must now do came into force in June 2024.
We supported the ban on live export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and equines for slaughter, or for fattening, beginning in or transiting through Great Britain. Regulations to enforce the ban came into force in January 2025.
We received over one thousand responses to our consultation on the licensing of animal welfare establishments, activities and exhibits, which concluded in March 2024. A summary of the responses was published in December 2024. Our response to the consultation and next steps were published June 2025, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to improving animal welfare standards across Wales.
We are moving forward with a ban on greyhound racing. As announced earlier this year, we are establishing an Implementation Group to guide this transition, ensuring the welfare of racing dogs and supporting affected communities. Legislation to deliver this commitment will be brought forward in the autumn.
The Welsh Government funded Animal Licensing Wales, a Local Authority enforcement project, continues to deliver for animal health and welfare, and last year earned a prestigious RSPCA special recognition award. We have awarded Animal Licensing Wales a significant funding extension for 2025/2026.
Our responsible dog breeding and ownership work has brought together Local Authorities, police forces and campaigners for dog welfare. Workshops throughout 2024 focused on identifying issues and emerging trends, capturing actions, and developing strategies to address challenges. They provided a platform for stakeholders to share insights and collaborate on solutions. We held our second annual multi-agency summit on responsible dog breeding and ownership in October 2024.
Partnership working is essential to our success. I am grateful to all those stakeholders and agencies instrumental to the progress we have made so far. I look forward to achieving more together in the year ahead.