Statement regarding circuses visiting the District
For several years a circus with animals has visited the Rochford
District for approximately three weeks in August.
Rochford District Council has a very strong position on animal
welfare issues, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (RSPCA) has said that “Rochford’s policies continue to show
a commitment to, and an understanding of animal welfare, and how
best to protect it within the legislative parameters’
Rochford District Council’s position on this issue is clear.
The circus has never been and is currently not located on land
owned by Rochford District Council. This means the Council is
unable to prohibit these activities.
There is currently no legislation that enables any Council to
place a blanket ban on circuses. Indeed, if any Council were to
impose a blanket ban, the validity of such a decision would be open
to legal challenge.
If an application to hold a circus, performance, exhibition or
display of animals on any Council land or premises is received then
it would be considered individually and the decision to grant or
refuse such an application would be based on a wide range of
considerations, including animal welfare. A public body, as a
matter of law, cannot make decisions based purely on moral
grounds.
Rochford District Council takes the issue of animal welfare very
seriously. The Council was one of the first in the county to
introduce an Animal Welfare Charter, a living document that is
regularly reviewed.
In fact, the Council’s Animal Welfare Charter states: ‘The
Council supports all current animal welfare legislation and
requests that members of parliament support any legislation that
will improve animal welfare conditions.’
Further to this, when the Department for the Environment Food
and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) carried out a consultation on the use of
wild animals in travelling circuses in 2009/10, Rochford District
Council responded fully to this consultation and supported a
complete ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses.
In May this year, DEFRA issued a press release announcing that
it planned to introduce a new licensing regime for circuses that
wish to keep wild animals in them. The full press release can be
viewed by clicking on the link in related links below.
Following a commons debate in parliament on 23 June 2011, MPs
voted on a motion to ban the use of wild animals in travelling
circuses. We will continue to update you as this progresses.