A SEVEN-point plan to improve the welfare of animals will come before the next meeting of Winchester City Council.

Cabinet members backed it when they met on Wednesday, April 7 after Animal Aid lobbied the authority last year.

The pressure group wanted it to support a nine-point plan, but council chiefs have decided that some of it is not workable.

The items that have been removed include banning the sale of foie gras and veal in the district. The council also rejected calls to shelve all lethal methods of dealing with pigeons, rats and other vermin.

However, Cllr George Beckett, who leads the council, said he was happy to support the other points, or back them with minor changes.

He added that some of the issues – not allowing circuses with animals to hire council land for example – were already current policy.

The cabinet also agreed that the authority should use cruelty-free products and not allow pets to be given as prizes at any events on its property.

The council will also promote the spaying or neutering of animals for their own welfare and ban the sale of fur in any of its buildings.

Minimising the amount of plastic waste in the district and using humane methods to control pests were also supported.

The cabinet’s seven-point plan will now go to the full council on Wednesday, April 21.