RSPCA Cymru has welcomed the support of the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd who has pledged to encourage all local authorities in Wales - including Denbighshire and Gwynedd - to ban the giving of pets as prizes on their land.

As part of its #NoFunAtTheFair campaign, the animal welfare charity is calling on the outdated practice to be banned - and has been campaigning for all councils in Wales to introduce their own local bans on their land.

So far 12 have done so following tireless RSPCA campaigning and overwhelming public support.

The call comes as the RSPCA publishes its new Animal Kindness Index - which highlighted a behaviour gap between people’s love for animals, and the negative impact that some actions potentially have on animal welfare - with playing games that give live goldfish as prizes one such example.

The 12 local authorities who have banned the practice so far are Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Conwy, Flintshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, the Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham.

During questions in the Senedd from Heledd Fychan MS and Janet Finch-Saunders MS, the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths MS, welcomed that RSPCA Cymru was campaigning on this issue. She also confirmed that officials have met with the animal welfare charity to see what more can be done moving forward without Wales-wide legislation.

The Minister added that she hopes the remaining 10 councils who are yet to act introduce a ban - whilst stating that everything should be done to encourage people to consider alternative prizes. She also confirmed that she would write to the councils urging them to act, in support of the RSPCA campaign.

Sioned Nikolic, RSPCA Cymru’s public affairs officer, said: “We are delighted to have the support from the Minister who will now be writing to the remaining councils in Wales to urge them to ban this outdated practice.

“We hope that soon we will be able to say all 22 local authorities have taken action. It is clear that people are shocked to find this is still happening and we also know there is also a high proportion of the public - 84% of people in Wales - who also want local governments to ban it on their own land.

“It really is something that people care about - and of course, we would still like pets being given away as prizes banned outrightly in Wales by the Welsh Government - as despite bans on council land, it can still take place on private land.”