The UK government has scrapped an animal welfare bill aimed at banning live exports and tackling puppy smuggling over fears it would force a vote on hunting.

Environment Minister Mark Spencer said the measures in the Kept Animal Bill would now be delivered through different means. He told MPs the government had to drop the Bill because the opposition Labour party “were going to play political games."

However, animal charity Humane Society International/UK called the decision an "astonishing betrayal," saying the Bill "needed only a few more hours in the Commons to succeed, so parliamentary time is clearly not the real issue here." Sources told the charity the real reason the Bill was dropped was fear over debates on hunting.

The Bill would have banned live exports for slaughter, tackled puppy smuggling and banned keeping primates as pets. The government now says it will implement these before the next election, rather than in one Bill.

Several Conservative MPs voiced disappointment, slamming the delay as “completely unacceptable”, “unforgiveable”, “frustrating and disappointing”. The government proposed reintroducing them as separate pieces of legislation, but such action will take way longer. Opposition parties and charities also expressed dissatisfaction towards the delay, saying "the longer the delay, the longer animals suffer."

The UK Government tried defending their record through past animal welfare actions, like mandatory dog microchipping, banning conventional battery cages, and third-party puppy and kitten sales. The environment minister said live exports have not occurred since 2020, "but government legislation will ensure this becomes permanent."

Labour's shadow environment minister called the government "too weak to deliver its own legislation," while Scottish National Party MP Kirsten Oswald accused it of "shilly-shallying."

The dropping of the Bill shows the deep divisions in the Conservative party over hunting. Some Tory MPs want to repeal the ban, while others want to strengthen it to include "trail hunting", where dogs and riders follow an artificial scent along an agreed route. The League Against Cruel Sports believe that this sport is a cover for actual fox hunting.

Current laws in Hong Kong under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap. 170 bans hunting entirely. No person except those with a special permit can hunt wild animals. The government would only permit hunting in special circumstances such as, for example, when it was necessary to control the population of wild pigs or other species of animal which might be causing a serious nuisance. Due to an increasing concern for animal welfare, the wild pig hunting operations sparked public outcry and they were suspended in early 2017. However, with illegal feeding of wild pigs, the number of wild pigs has been on the surge since then. In 2021, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) decided to reactivate the wild pig hunting operations. As of October 2022, AFCD has killed 260 wild pigs in 110 operations. There are even discussions to re-issue hunting permits for wild pig hunting teams for civilians.

Courtesy of Alvin Yiu

Main sources: BBC, Legislative Council of HKSAR, Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department