Clause 1 is the Title clause.

Clause 2 is the commencement clause. The Bill comes into force the day after the date on which this Bill receives the Royal assent, except clauses 6, 8, and 11, which come into force on 30 April 2023.

Clause 3 states that this Bill amends the Animal Welfare Act 1999 (the Act).

Clause 4 replaces section 8A of the Act with new section 8A, which is the operative provision for Schedule 4 of the Act (as amended by clause 12 of the Bill to become a schedule of transitional, savings, and related provisions).

Clause 7 inserts new section 41 into the Act. New section 41 prohibits applications for, and the issue of, animal welfare export certificates for the export of cattle, deer, goats, or sheep by ship if the animals would leave New Zealand on or after 30 April 2023. Section 40(1) of the Act provides that it is an offence to export an animal from New Zealand to another country, except under the authority of, and in accordance with the conditions of, an animal welfare export certificate. Prohibiting the issue of these certificates for the export of cattle, deer, goats, or sheep by ship has the effect of an absolute prohibition on these exports from 30 April 2023.

Clauses 5, 9, and 10 are consequential amendments that do the following:

• clause 5 amends section 40 of the Act. Section 40(2) provides some exceptions to the offence created by section 40(1). New subsection (2A) is added to make any exception under section 40(2) unavailable for exports prohibited because of new section 41:

• clause 9 amends section 42(1) of the Act, which enables any person to apply for an animal welfare export certificate. The amendment ensures that the ability to apply for animal welfare export certificates is not available for exports prohibited because of new section 41:

• clause 10 amends section 48 of the Act, which enables the Director-General to create exemptions from the requirement to have an animal welfare export certificate before exporting animals. New section 48(1A) is added to prohibit the Director-General from making exemptions for exports prohibited because of new section 41.

Clauses 6, 8, and 11, which all come into force on 30 April 2023, amend sections 40, 41, and 48 respectively. These amendments remove references to the commencement date of the prohibition on the export of cattle, deer, goats, or sheep by ship. It is unnecessary to qualify the application of those sections by reference to a future date after that date has passed.

Clause 12 amends Schedule 4 of the Act. In particular, it inserts new Part 2 into Schedule 4, which contains the transitional provisions relating to this Bill as follows:

• new clauses 5 and 6 of Schedule 4 effectively revoke animal welfare export certificates to the extent that they are inconsistent with new section 41:

• new clause 7 of Schedule 4 effectively nullifies instruments referred to in section 40(2) of the Act to the extent that they would otherwise authorise the export of cattle, deer, goats, or sheep by ship on or after 30 April 2023.