What has the Labour Government done to improve animal welfare?

The Labour Governments in Cardiff Bay and Westminster have actually achieved quite a lot on animal welfare.  Since 1997 the Government has banned the testing of cosmetic finished products on animals; banned the use of animals to test alcohol and tobacco products; banned the use of great apes in all testing (gorillas, chimpanzees, pygmy chimpanzees and oran-utans); established the National Centre for the Replacement, Reduction and Reinement of Animals in Research; banned fox hunting; banned fur farming; and intorduced into Parliament the Animal Welfare Bill which will reduce animal suffering by enabling preventive action to be taken before suffering occurs and imposes a duty on those responsible for animals to do all that is reasonable to ensure the welfare of their animals (and for the first time, for non-farm animals) and increase the maximum financial penalty for cruelty from £5,000 to £20,000.