Clause 1 - Hunting wild mammals with dogs
Hunting Bill
10:00 am
Mr Alun Michael (Minister of State (Rural Affairs), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour/Co-operative)
The hon. Gentleman stands logic on its head. The definition in law is that cruelty is to cause unnecessary suffering. If an unnecessary activity causes suffering it is cruelty. That is why, where it is clear that an activity is not inherently cruel, the Bill provides the applicant the opportunity to prove that there is necessity and that the least cruel method or the method that involves the least suffering is being proposed. The Bill is clear, simple, straightforward and based on principle.