§ Mrs. CastleMr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a Petition organised by the National Equine (and Smaller Animals) Defence League to which 130,694 signatures have been appended.
The Petitioners maintain that the Protection of Animals (Anaesthetics) Act, 1954, does not sufficiently protect animals from various operations, and in particular castration, being performed on them without anaesthesia and that therefore the animals are still submitted to unnecessary pain and cruelty. An amendment to the law is therefore urged.
The Petition showeth
That the practice of castrating, docking and other operations without anaesthesia, all performed within the ages allowed by the Protection of Animals (Anaesthetics) Act 1954, are grossly cruel, objectional and disgusting, despite the fact that the above-mentioned Act provides that no animal shall be subjected to any operationwithout due care and humanity".Wherefore, your Petitioners pray that especially in regard to the castration of all animals, developed sufficiently to make the operation effective, they shall have the benefit of an effective anaesthetic during the whole of the operation. To this end an amendment to the 1954 Act should be effected immediately to save many thousands of animals annually from great fright and needless severe suffering.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.
§ To lie upon the Table.