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1537394

registered interest
date	31/10/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of pets abandoned by families as a result of the rising cost of living.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
uin	74507
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/11/2022 answer text <p>HM Government is concerned about the impact of rising bills on all aspects of people's lives and businesses, including the costs associated with companion animal welfare. Defra remains in close contact with animal welfare organisations and meets them regularly to understand issues that are affecting the sector, including any increase of abandonment rates.</p><p>Sector groups are closely monitoring the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and identifying where more support may be needed. We welcome the support they are providing through pet food banks and financial support with veterinary treatment during these difficult times which is helping to reduce the pressure on pet owners.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 07/11/2022 12:42:52 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

1506089

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the increase in household bills on pet welfare.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Alex Davies-Jones
uin	901335
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2022 answer text <p>The Government is actively considering the impact of rising bills on all aspects of people’s lives. Defra is in close contact with animal welfare organisations and meets them regularly to understand issues that are affecting the sector, including the impact of rising bills.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 26/09/2022 09:09:49 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones

1490131

registered interest
date	18/07/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that domestic pets are not put at risk during a period of extreme heat.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	38723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2022 answer text <p>We are acutely aware of the potential risks that hot weather creates for pets. Defra has issued communications over the last week to give tips to pet owners on steps to take in hot weather to keep their pets safe. This includes social media posts on how to keep your dog or cat cool, encouraging pet owners to know the signs of heatstroke:<a href="https://twitter.com/DefraGovUK/status/1548215892692963329?s=20&amp;t=eQ0yptnzMwlN0QlkDXa8sA" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/DefraGovUK/status/1548215892692963329?s=20&amp;t=eQ0yptnzMwlN0QlkDXa8sA</a> and guidance on caring for horses in extreme weather: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/keeping-farm-animals-and-horses-in-extreme-weather" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/keeping-farm-animals-and-horses-in-extreme-weather</a>.</p><p> </p><p>A number of veterinary and animal welfare organisations have also published advice and guidance for pet owners on caring for their pets during periods of extreme heat. For example, The British Veterinary Association issued advice to pet owners on keeping pets safe during hot weather which you can find here: <a href="https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/news-article/sunscreen-shade-and-sunset-walkies-vets-issue-urgent-heatwave-advice-as-temperatures-set-to-rival-2018-record/" target="_blank">https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/news-article/sunscreen-shade-and-sunset-walkies-vets-issue-urgent-heatwave-advice-as-temperatures-set-to-rival-2018-record/</a>. World Horse Welfare also provided advice on caring for horses: <a href="https://int.worldhorsewelfare.org/news/hot-weather-and-horses" target="_blank">https://int.worldhorsewelfare.org/news/hot-weather-and-horses</a>.</p> answering member constituency St Austell and Newquay answering member printed Steve Double question first answered 26/07/2022 12:49:09 answering member 4452 label Biography information for Steve Double
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1439491

registered interest
date	09/03/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to seek to progress legislation to make provision about the welfare of certain kept animals that are in, imported into, or exported from Great Britain, in (1) the current, and (2) the next, parliamentary session.
tabling member printed	Baroness Hodgson of Abinger
uin	HL6798
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2022 answer text <p>In May 2021 we published the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which sets out the Government's ambitious programme of legislative and non-legislative measures to further improve our high standards of animal welfare. As a key part of delivering this plan, we introduced the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill in June 2021. The Bill provides enhanced protections for pet, farmed and kept wild animals in Great Britain.</p><p>The Bill completed Commons Committee Stage in November. Since introduction, the Government has added a new pet abduction offence to the bill and extended the primates measure to Wales. We have also consulted on the use of powers in the Bill to tackle puppy smuggling. The Government is committed to this Bill and it will progress in its current form as soon as Parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 23/03/2022 17:05:06 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	4301 label Biography information for Baroness Hodgson of Abinger

1387190

registered interest
date	13/12/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of domestic pets being left for rehoming with animal welfare charities in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	91932
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2021 answer text <p>Defra does not hold exact data on the number of domestic pets being left for rehoming annually over the last three years. However, the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) annual returns for 2018, 2019 and 2020 show that:</p><p> </p><p>The intake for dogs in 2018 was 72,191;</p><p> </p><p>The intake for cats in 2018 was 90,815;</p><p> </p><p>The intake for dogs in 2019 was 65,080;</p><p> </p><p>The intake for cats in 2019 was 99,738;</p><p> </p><p>The intake for dogs in 2020 was 44,771;</p><p> </p><p>The intake for cats in 2020 was 56,672.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The ADCH figures for 2021 will be available early next year.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 21/12/2021 13:06:11 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1386577

registered interest
date	09/12/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote responsible ownership of cats, dogs, and other pets.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
tabling member printed	Stuart Anderson
uin	90501
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2021 answer text <p>The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare and we are committed to making the UK a world leader in the protection of animals. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (2006 Act), it is an offence to cause any animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare needs.</p><p> </p><p>The 2006 Act is backed up by a series of Codes of Practice for the welfare of several species including Dogs, Cats, and other types of animal which may be kept as pets. These codes provide owners with information on how to meet their responsibility to provide for the welfare needs of their animals, as required by the 2006 Act.</p><p> </p><p>In the Licensing of Activities involving Animals Regulations 2018 made under the 2006 Act certain animal related activities must be licensed, such as pet selling, dog breeding and selling, animal boarding, riding schools and the exhibiting of animals. Licences must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Such standards include the requirement for pet sellers to provide prospective owners with information on how to care for the animal.</p><p> </p><p>My Department also supports the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which was created to combat growing concerns about the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange, including through social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. We have backed a set of Minimum Standards that PAAG developed which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet. Meanwhile my department maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes providing clear signposting on where responsible breeders and rehoming centres can be found and encouraging prospective buyers to research the seller thoroughly before they visit and decide to purchase. The campaign provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill was granted Royal Assent on 29 April. This realises the Government’s manifesto commitment to increase the sentences available to our courts for the most serious cases of animal cruelty. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 (the Act) came into force on the 29 June providing one of the toughest sanctions in Europe and strengthening the UK's position as a global leader on animal welfare.  The Act’s new maximum sentence of five years and/or an unlimited fine will apply to the most serious animal cruelty offences, including causing unnecessary suffering, and is a significant step forward in improving animal welfare.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 17/12/2021 17:40:39 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4742 label Biography information for Stuart Anderson

1343557

registered interest
date	05/07/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect domestic animals from cruelty through the on-line sales market.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	27220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2021 answer text <p>This Government takes the issue of low-welfare and illegal supply of puppies very seriously. Significant steps have already been taken to improve and update the laws on dog breeding in England to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed dogs purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare.</p><p> </p><p>Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licences must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including provisions to protect dogs from being bred from too often or at an early age, which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Any licensee advertising dogs for sale will need to include their licence number in the advert and specify the local authority who issued the licence. Additional requirements placed on advertisements include that the age of the dog for sale must be displayed along with a recognisable photograph.</p><p> </p><p>We banned the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in England from 6 April 2020. This ban aims to disrupt the low-welfare trade that supports puppy farming by preventing pet shops, pet dealers and other commercial outlets from selling these animals in England unless they themselves have bred them. It means anyone looking to get a puppy must buy direct from a breeder or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead.</p><p> </p><p>The 2018 Regulations require Local Authorities to maintain a record of the number of licences in force for each activity in their respective area. Furthermore, as Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing animal related activities which are licensed, such as pet selling or dog breeding, they will hold details on the level of enforcement activity being undertaken in their area.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile my department maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes providing clear signposting on where responsible breeders and rehoming centres can be found and encouraging prospective buyers to research the seller thoroughly before they visit and decide to purchase. The campaign provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. More information can be found here: <a href="https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk/</a></p><p> </p><p>We have also endorsed The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which was created to combat growing concerns about the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange and backed a set of Minimum Standards that PAAG developed which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the Government has a manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling and one of our key reforms in the Action Plan on Animal Welfare is to end this abhorrent, cruel practice and low-welfare pet imports. Through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill currently before Parliament, we will introduce new powers to tackle the unethical trade of puppy smuggling by reducing the number of pets (dogs, cats and ferrets) that can travel under pet travel rules. The Bill will also include powers for the Government to bring in further restrictions on the movement of pets on welfare grounds, for example by increasing the minimum age of imported puppies and restricting the import of pregnant dogs and dogs with mutilations such as cropped ears and tails.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 27219 27221 question first answered 13/07/2021 13:47:47 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1327649

registered interest
date	24/05/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the welfare of exotic animals being held in private residences is being protected.
tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
uin	6332
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2021 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p>The Government takes the issue of animal welfare very seriously. Our manifesto and the recent Action Plan for Animal Welfare published on 12 May were clear about the importance of high standards of animal welfare. We have a long tradition of protecting animals and that will continue.</p><p>As with all kept animals, the welfare of exotic animals held in private residences is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Under this legislation it is an offence to cause suffering to a kept animal or to fail to provide for their needs. The Government's recent Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 realises the Government's manifesto commitment to increase the sentences available to our courts for the most serious cases of animal cruelty. From 29 June 2021, anyone who is cruel to an animal faces a prison sentence for up to five years, an unlimited fine, or both.</p><p>The private keeping of specific exotic animals deemed to be dangerous in the UK is also regulated by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. This legislation requires those keeping particular species to obtain a licence from their Local Authority. Whilst this legislation is primarily concerned with public safety, licence holders are required to provide suitable accommodation, food, drink and bedding for any animals held under licence and are subject to regular inspections by a veterinary practitioner.</p><p>In the 2019 manifesto, the Government committed to ban the keeping of primates as pets. Primates are highly intelligent wild animals with complicated welfare needs and as such are unsuitable to be kept as pets. In a Call for Evidence on the welfare of primates kept as pets which closed in January 2020, Defra received evidence of the harm that can be done to primates kept in domestic settings, both physical and psychological.</p><p>Defra sought public input on proposals to tackle the issue of primates kept as pets in a consultation launched at the end of 2020. As outlined in the Government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare we will legislate to prohibit primates as pets. Keepers that are able to provide welfare standards akin to those of licensed zoos will be able to keep their primates under a new licensing regime, subject to conditions and inspections. Ownership of these exotic animals with complex needs will be phased out for keepers unable to meet these standards.</p><p>The Government is considering which other wild animals these restrictions could apply to and steps to ensure this is possible will form part of the upcoming Kept Animals Bill.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 03/06/2021 08:52:18 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1258826

registered interest
date	07/12/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of financial support available for the companion animal welfare sector in the context of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	125961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>The welfare of companion animals remains a priority for Defra throughout the coronavirus pandemic. My department continues to work closely with the companion animal welfare sector to understand the concerns of the sector and address how organisations that work with companion animals have been affected by Covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has announced various measures to help businesses and charities cope in these strained times whilst remaining completely focussed on managing and eradicating the virus. Organisations can apply for the full range of COVID-19 support measures that the government has made available:</p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support</a>.</p><p> </p><p>There has been a change to the eligibility criteria for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). The CBILS requirement for a small to medium-size enterprise to generate more than 50% of its income from trading has been removed for registered charities.</p><p> </p><p>The Charity Commission has also issued comprehensive guidance on running a charity during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Details can be found at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector</a>. This includes advice for Trustees on managing financial difficulties with respect to use of reserves, restricted funds and provisions to help businesses continue operating and avoid insolvency during this period of economic uncertainty.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this, we have worked closely with the sector through the Canine and Feline Sector Group and National Equine Welfare Council to agree and update guidance to animal rescue and rehoming organisations, and other animal charities and businesses. This has enabled them to undertake core operations as far as possible, whilst maintaining compliance with the social distancing rules and need for hygiene precautions to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.</p><p> </p><p>Defra remains committed to continued engagement with the sector to understand the longer-term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, monitor the animal welfare implications of this and offer appropriate advice.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 10/12/2020 16:52:04 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1190799

registered interest
date	27/04/2020
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce parity of treatment under the law for people found guilty of harming or injuring a domestic pet to bring them in line with the penalties imposed if a service dog used by the police or an assistance dog used by a visually impaired person is attacked or injured.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	40708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government remains fully committed to animal welfare and supports increasing the maximum custodial sentences for animal cruelty offences from six months to five years. This will enable courts to take a firmer approach to cases such as dog fighting, abuse of puppies and kittens, or gross neglect of farm animals. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill was introduced into the House of Commons on 5 February by Chris Loder MP and is due to have its Second Reading on 10 July. The Government will continue to support the Bill as it makes its way through Parliament. The proposed new maximum sentence of five years would apply to all animals under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and hence would provide parity of treatment under the law for domestic pets, for service dogs used by the police, and for assistance dogs used by visually impaired people.</p><p> </p><p>The new maximum penalty of five years is in line with campaigns by key stakeholders such as Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Blue Cross, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA. This is a positive step forward in improving animal welfare and will act as a serious deterrent against animal cruelty. The increase to five years' imprisonment will provide one of the toughest sanctions in Europe, strengthening the UK's position as a global leader on animal welfare and will apply where anyone is convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 05/05/2020 16:42:07 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq