The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns.<\/p>
<\/p>
Whilst we have domestic restrictions on the production of force-fed foie gras, it is possible to import foie gras from abroad. In line with the Government\u2019s commitment to improving animal welfare standards as set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are committed to building a clear evidence base to inform future decisions.<\/p>
We do not currently have an end date for when this research will conclude.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4055", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sherwood"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mark Spencer"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-03-18T15:14:10.047Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-03-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Foie Gras: Imports"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the reasons for changes in the amount of foie gras imported in 2023 compared with previous years; what information his Department holds on the number of businesses involved in importing foie gras in 2023; and when he plans to conclude the evidence base research phase of the foie gras importation ban consultation.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4677", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Giles Watling"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Clacton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Giles Watling"} ], "uin" : "18289"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/433491", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/433491/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Defra actively shares intelligence relating to abuse of the EU pet travel scheme. Evidence collected by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Local Authorities and welfare organisations has led to investigations in other EU countries.<\/p>
The UK maintains effective border controls and all the relevant agencies work together to target people who systematically abuse the rules.<\/p>
The illegal trade is ultimately driven by demand. Defra have published guidance on buying a pet and have worked closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to drive up standards for online advertisements.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3934", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for George Eustice"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Camborne and Redruth"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "George Eustice"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-12-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-12-07T14:24:00.127Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-12-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pet Travel Scheme"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received on reforms to the Pet Travel Scheme to make it harder to smuggle animals into the UK.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1388", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Belfast North"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Nigel Dodds"} ], "uin" : "18289"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 2, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }