That took place after the consultation, but a lot of letters were sent at that time to ask why we had not yet banned wild animals in travelling circuses. Some of that is sparked by events, such as the visit of the big cats to Peterhead in 2014. There is regular correspondence to ministers, which we answer.
We have also had a constant stream of correspondence. Although there was more support for banning the use of bears, big cats and elephants, there was still significant support for banning the use of creatures such as parrots and snakes. The most recent poll was by YouGov in 2013 and was broken down by species. In addition, from United Kingdom public opinion polls that date back over the past 10 years, we are aware that 70 to 80 per cent of a random sample of the public support a ban on wild animals in travelling circuses. The analysis extracted key points that respondents made. The consultation took place back in 2014. The consultation analysis has been published and the individual consultation responses were published very recently. Will you give us a flavour of the volume and balance of the views that you received? Andrew Voas The responses have not yet been published in detail. I presume that the assertion that you just made about the public view is informed by the volume and nature of the correspondence that was received in response to the call for opinions.
The argument is that circuses attract sufficient moral opprobrium that the only appropriate way of dealing with them-given the particular ethical arguments that apply to them-is complete prohibition, whereas for the other uses, it would be appropriate to tighten the registration and licensing requirements in order to modernise the approach that stems from the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925. We are aware that the public do not seem to have the same fundamental ethical objection to those other uses of animals as they do to circuses. In the middle is a range of uses of wild animals, such as birds of prey that might be seen at country fairs or animals that might be taken into schools so that, for example, children can hold snakes or see what different animals look like. At one end of the range are zoos and safari parks, which have a statutory obligation to be involved in conservation and education and are generally regarded by most of the public as being acceptable. We are aware-and, when we were drafting the bill, we were especially aware-that there is a wide variety of other uses of wild and domestic animals for performance or public display. Given that, did the Scottish Government consider undertaking a follow-up consultation to seek a wider range of views and fill the gap between 2014 and now? Andrew Voas “somewhat dated and might benefit from review”. The Welsh Government has plans for a scheme that is aimed at addressing mobile animal exhibits more widely, and the Scottish Government has acknowledged that the current legislative framework, which in part dates back to 1925, is Some of the scientific evidence might have strengthened concern about aspects of keeping animals in travelling circuses, but the key ethical arguments remain unchanged from those that we laid out in the consultation in 2014. We are aware that there have been developments in scientific evidence, which were outlined in the Dorning and Harris report that was produced for the Welsh Government. The bill is based on key ethical arguments.
Does the three-year gap between the consultation and the bill’s introduction pose any challenges for the Scottish Government in ensuring that the bill reflects the weight of scientific evidence and public views? Andrew Voas (Scottish Government) I refer members to my registered interest as the convener of the cross-party group on and an honorary member of the Scottish Showmen’s Guild.
You may do so now or when you ask a question. Richard Lyle (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)īefore we start, convener, may I remind members of my registered interest? The Convener
Members have a series of questions for you, which I will kick off. I welcome Andrew Voas, veterinary adviser, and Angela Lawson, solicitor. We are joined by officials from the Scottish Government’s team who have been working on the bill. The second item of business is an evidence session on the Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Bill.