§ 55. Sir Jocelyn Lucasasked the Minister of Agriculture if his attention has been called to cases of cruelty to horses in transport to slaughter-houses by overcrowding in lorries, etc.; and if he will introduce legislation to make the employees concerned responsible for reasonable care and attention being given to the animals in question during transit as well as at other times.
Mr. T. WilliamsIt is already an offence under the Protection of Animals Acts for any person, by omitting to do 1934 any act, to cause any unnecessary suffering to animals, and in the case recently reported convictions were obtained against the two employees concerned. I propose to make specific provisions about overcrowding, amongst other things, in the order which I am about to make dealing with the transit of horses by road and rail.