Circus licence plan stirs ‘big chop’ fears for animal displays

WELSH plans for a new licensing scheme for circus animals has thrown the future of other animal events into doubt.

Falconry, agricultural shows and even therapy dogs may face new rules and fees as the Welsh Government looks to enhance its animal welfare record.

Rural affairs secretary Lesley Griffiths has confirmed that all Mobile Animal Exhibitions ( MAEs) are to be licensed in Wales and a new scheme will be developed in the New Year.

Government officials will also consider a total ban on all wild animals in circuses following an overwhelming call for action in a recent consultation.

However it the implications for other MAEs that has alarmed sections of rural Wales – especially as “domesticated animals” will also be included.

As well as travelling falconry and hawking displays, exotic pets taken to schools for educational purposes could be affected.

So, too, could reindeer at Christmas events and even the racing camels that entertained the crowds at this year’s Anglesey Show.

The Kennel Club fears that, if the definition of MAEs is not clarified, its 180 dog shows in Wales could even be sucked into the licensing scheme.

The Countryside Alliance believes that the proposed definition is too broad.

It favours the retention of existing exemptions in the 1925 Performing Animal Act that covers the training and exhibiting animals for “military, police, agricultural or sporting purposes”.

“Unless such an exemption is included, any regime applying to MAEs would include agricultural shows, field trials, sheep dog trialling etc,” said the Alliance in its consultation response.

However the RSPCA wants licensing to go fur- ther to include all exhibited animals, including those used for film and TV shows.

It is also calling for the word “travel” to be removed from the MAE definition so that licensing can encompass all the “activities that concern the RSPCA”.

This would also over- come the problem of defining how far and how often an animal would need to travel before its activities need licensing, said the charity.

In devising the licensing scheme, Cardiff will need to assess which, if any, animal-related activities should be exempt. Some respondents believe that charities, including therapy pets, should be excluded.

“The emphasis should be on commercial activities,” said the Animal Consultants and Trainers Association.

The Welsh Government may also insist that all MAEs have a conservation remit – as licensed zoos have already.

While many groups are happy for MAEs to demonstrate an educational purpose, some – such as the British Veterinary Association – feel a proposed conservation requirement would be “not likely to be realistic, or even desirable”. In this respect the FUW

calling for specific is exemptions for farming. “Conservation should not be a crucial element where livestock are shown for business purposes, such as selling, judging and the like,” said the union.

Fees are likely to be payable under the MAE scheme to ensure compliance and to enable local councils to recover the costs of checks and inspections.

However many travelling animals are already licensed in England. The Circus Guild of Great Britain said another fee would be “financially hard” on licensed circuses if they had to pay again to operate in Wales.

“The same would apply with.... camel racing, reindeer for Christmas and many other MAEs crossing borders,” said the Guild.

Those who want livestock, excluded from licensing face a key stumbling block: most modern circuses now have mainly grazing species, such as llamas, alpacas, reindeer, cattle and zebras. In fact no circus has toured Wales with big cats for almost three years.

Whatever the outcome, it seems likely Wales will follow the example set by the Scottish Parliament, which last week became the first nation in the UK to ban wild animals in travelling circuses.

Of the nearly 1,000 responses to Cardiff’s MAE consultation, most wanted to see a similar ban, with Peta citing “extreme confinement and stress during transport” and the “use of psychologically and physically abusive training methods”.

Others, however, pointed out that two government reports failed to find scientific justification for a ban, and that existing legislation was adequate.

One touring circus, which visits Wales each year, said: “It would be sad if the Welsh Government gave in to animal rights groups.

“All our animals are fit and healthy and enjoy their life on tour with the circus.”