Found: Correspondence from the Animal Sentience Committee regarding its report on Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Letter from Lord Carlile of Berriew to Baroness Hayman of Ullock re: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Letter from Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Defra) re: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: .  Dogs Trust strongly supports the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill and is hopeful

Found: and non- commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets as set out in the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Letter from Lord Carlile of Berriew to Baroness Hayman of Ullock re: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Correspondence from the Animal Sentience Committee regarding its report on Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: vast majority of UK cat owners and would help to curb kitten smuggling. 4 Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found:  Dogs Trust strongly supports the recently tabled Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: breaches, and the unintended consequences of proposed legislation, like the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets) Bill

Found: The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Public Bill Committees Resolved, That the Committee appoint Members to the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Public Bill Committees Resolved, That the Committee appoint Members to the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: On 15 March 2024, the Government announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her department has made of allowing exemptions in the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill to allow responsible rescue work of dogs and other animals to continue.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As outlined in the manifesto, this Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why Defra was pleased to support the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025.

This Act gives the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom.

Defra will use these powers to prohibit puppies and kittens being brought into Great Britain under six months old, dogs and cats with non-exempt mutilations, and heavily pregnant dogs and cats. Any appropriate exemptions to these prohibitions will be delivered via secondary legislation at a later date. In the meantime, Defra will continue to work with stakeholders including rescue organisations and consider their feedback. This Government is clear that any exemptions will need to be finely balanced against the risk of creating loopholes that could be exploited by bad actors.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scoping review published in Animal Welfare on 4 November, The canine welfare, public health and environmental impact of systemic under-regulation within the UK puppy trade; and what action they will take to address the issues highlighted in it.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government will end puppy smuggling and bring an end to puppy farming. To deliver this we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill which will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders and give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom.

We are considering the most effective way to end puppy farming, including assessing a range of evidence, and will set out next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the illegal importation of puppies and kittens.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill.

The Bill successfully completed its Second Reading in the House of Lords on 5 September 2025. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through the House of Lords as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of puppy smuggling.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Due to the illegal nature of this activity, we cannot know the true extent of puppy and kitten smuggling operations. The Animal and Plant Health Agency plays a critical role in monitoring and intercepting animals that do not meet legal importation standards including those that are underage.

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through the House of Lords as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the animal welfare strategy will include a commitment to help end the illegal puppy smuggling trade.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of levels of (a) puppy and (b) kitten smuggling into the UK under existing pet travel rules.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

Due to the illegal nature of this activity, we cannot know the true extent of puppy and kitten smuggling operations. The Animal and Plant Health Agency plays a critical role in monitoring and intercepting animals that do not meet legal importation standards including those that are underage.

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to ending puppy smuggling. That is why we are supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through the House of Lords as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to reduce the number of dogs permitted to travel across international borders to three per non-commercial vehicle.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government is supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill. The Bill will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders by reducing the number of dogs, cats and ferrets that can enter Great Britain in one non-commercial movement to five per vehicle or three per foot or air passenger.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for bringing forward measures to ban (a) trophy hunting and (b) animal smuggling.

Answered by Mary Creagh

The Government committed to a hunting trophy import ban of endangered animals in its manifesto and we will deliver on this. Defra is engaging with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can deliver on this commitment in the most effective way.

As outlined in our manifesto, we are committed to ending puppy smuggling. The Government is supporting the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by the hon. Member for Winchester. The Bill will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders and give the government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make importing dogs with cropped ears illegal.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by the hon. Member for Winchester. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of dogs with non-exempted mutilations such as cropped ears.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce legislation to ban the commercial movement of pregnant dogs.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders and give the government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of heavily pregnant dogs and cats.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the importation of ethically-sourced puppies that are under six months old.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders and give the government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of puppies and kittens under six months old.

This prohibition and any appropriate exemptions will be delivered via secondary legislation at a later date. Any such exemptions will need to be finely balanced against the risk of creating loopholes that could be exploited.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the age from which puppies can be imported to six months.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by the hon. Member for Winchester. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the import of puppies and kittens under six months old, dogs and cats which have been subject to non-exempted mutilations such as cropped ears, docked tails and declawing, and heavily pregnant dogs and cats.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the importation of deliberately mutilated cats.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by the hon. Member for Winchester. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the import of puppies and kittens under six months old, dogs and cats which have been subject to non-exempted mutilations such as cropped ears, docked tails and declawing, and heavily pregnant dogs and cats.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the (a) importation and (b) sale of dogs with (i) cropped ears and (ii) docked tails for cosmetic reasons.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by the hon. Member for Winchester. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the import of puppies and kittens under six months old, dogs and cats which have been subject to non-exempted mutilations such as cropped ears, docked tails and declawing, and heavily pregnant dogs and cats.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will introduce a ban on the imports of dogs with cropped ears as soon as possible.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by the hon. Member for Winchester. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of dogs with non-exempted mutilations such as cropped ears.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is to introduce legislation to end (a) puppy and (b) kitten smuggling.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

As outlined in our manifesto, we are committed to ending puppy smuggling. The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders and give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to help prevent international puppy smuggling.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

As outlined in our manifesto, we are committed to ending puppy smuggling. The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders and give the government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to Great Britain’s pet market.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prevent imports of animals with harmful mutilations.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to Great Britain’s pet market. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of dogs and cats with non-exempted mutilations such as cropping ears, docking tails and declawing.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for banning the import of dogs with cropped ears.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will give the Government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to Great Britain’s pet market. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of dogs with non-exempted mutilations such as cropped ears.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ban the importation of pregnant cats in the last half of their pregnancy.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will give the government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to Great Britain’s pet market. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of cats that are more than 42 days pregnant.

We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including (a) cats and (b) kittens in legislation to prevent pet smuggling.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The measures in the Bill will extend to cats and kittens, and close loopholes exploited by unscrupulous pet traders.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the potential ban on importing dogs and cats under the age of six months; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that ban on levels of illegal pet trade.

Answered by Mark Spencer

Defra regularly engages with relevant stakeholders, on tackling the illegal pet trade, including prohibiting the import of puppies and kittens under the age of six months.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of puppies under six months old. By its very nature, it is difficult to assess the full extent of the illegal pet trade. The measures in the Bill will close loopholes ​exploited by ​unscrupulous traders, help reduce the low welfare movement of pets into Great Britain and crack down on the illegal smuggling of dogs and puppies.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing sanctions for cases of puppy smuggling.

Answered by Mark Spencer

In August 2021, the Government launched a consultation on proposed restrictions, including enforcement measures, to the commercial import and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. We are carefully reviewing the feedback gathered from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published soon.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations, including penalties and offences, for non-compliant commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of provisions in the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill on the work of animal rescue charities.

Answered by Mark Spencer

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill completed second reading in the House of Commons on 15 March 2024.

In August 2021 we launched a consultation on the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. It was a wide-ranging consultation with excellent engagement with key stakeholders including animal rescue charities. We are carefully reviewing the feedback from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and the consultation response will be published soon.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to introduce a complete ban on the commercial movement of pregnant dogs, and (2) to increase the age at which puppies can be imported to six months.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill contains powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom, including prohibiting the import of heavily pregnant dogs over 42 days gestation and puppies under six months old.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a complete ban on the (1) importation, and (2) sale, of dogs which have had (a) their ears cropped, or (b) their tails docked, for cosmetic reasons.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is already an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation, including the cropping of a dog’s ears or the docking of their tails. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 creates tougher penalties for anyone convicted of such an offence face, either being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill contains powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears and docked tails. This will prevent the import of non-exempted mutilated dogs for onward sale in the United Kingdom.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of importing pregnant dogs on the welfare of those dogs; and whether he has received representations from animal welfare organisations on this matter.

Answered by Mark Spencer

In August 2021, the Government launched a consultation on proposed restrictions to the commercial import and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain including restricting the import of heavily pregnant dogs. It was a wide-ranging consultation with excellent engagement with key stakeholders including animal welfare organisations. We are carefully reviewing the feedback gathered from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published soon. We continue to engage with stakeholders on this issue.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of heavily pregnant dogs over 42 days gestation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of prohibiting the (a) importation and (b) sale of dogs with (i) cropped ears and (ii) docked tails.

Answered by Mark Spencer

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is already an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation, including the cropping of a dog’s ears or the docking of their tails. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 creates tougher penalties for anyone convicted of such an offence face, either being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.

In August 2021, the Government launched a consultation on proposed restrictions to the commercial import and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain including restricting the import of dogs with cropped ears and docked tails. We are carefully reviewing the feedback gathered from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published soon.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears and docked tails.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing the age at which puppies can be imported to six months and (b) reintroducing rabies blood tests for imported puppies.

Answered by Mark Spencer

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of puppies under six months old.

There are already strict legal controls on the entry of animals into Great Britain aimed at preventing the introduction of rabies. All dogs, cats and ferrets entering Great Britain must be vaccinated against rabies. We are not currently proposing any changes to the animal health requirements for dogs, cats and ferrets entering Great Britain. The Government monitors disease risk carefully. If the disease risk changes, or an immediate public health risk is identified, appropriate action will be taken.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle the commercial movement of pregnant dogs into Great Britain; and whether he plans to take legislative steps to curb this practice.

Answered by Mark Spencer

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of heavily pregnant dogs over 42 days gestation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enforce (a) legislative provisions and (b) border controls relating to puppy smuggling.

Answered by Mark Spencer

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by the hon. Member for North Devon on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears.

We operate one of the most rigorous and robust pet travel checking regimes in Europe. The Animal and Plant Health Agency works collaboratively with Border Force and other operational partners at ports, airports and inland, sharing intelligence to enforce the pet travel rules, disrupt illegal imports, safeguard the welfare of animals and seize non-compliant animals.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support animal welfare organisations in tackling (a) ear cropping and (b) puppy smuggling.

Answered by Mark Spencer

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation, including the cropping of a dog’s ears. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 creates tougher penalties for anyone convicted of such an offence face, either being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.

Defra supports the work of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which includes in its membership some of the country’s key animal welfare organisations. To ensure that advertisements for pets are legal and ethical, PAAG has developed a set of advertising standards which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet. The standards prohibit engaged websites from hosting adverts for dogs whose ears have been cropped.

Defra regularly engages with stakeholders, including veterinary and animal welfare professionals, on a range of animal welfare issues, including the illegal smuggling of pets into the UK.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by the hon. Member for North Devon on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the UK including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with local authorities to enhance enforcement against (a) puppy smuggling and (b) the sale of dogs with cropped ears.

Answered by Mark Spencer

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation, including the cropping of a dog’s ears. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 creates tougher penalties for anyone convicted of such an offence face, either being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by the hon. Member for North Devon on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears.

Defra regularly engages with stakeholders, including local authorities, on a range of animal welfare issues, including the smuggling of pets into the UK and the cropping of dogs’ ears.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken help tackle the import of dogs with cropped ears since 1 January 2024.

Answered by Mark Spencer

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is already an offence in England and Wales to carry out a non-exempted mutilation, including the cropping of a dog’s ears or the docking of their tails. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 creates tougher penalties for anyone convicted of such an offence face, either being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by the hon. Member for North Devon on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) publish the responses to the 2021 consultation on the commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into Great Britain and (b) commit to a legislative timeframe to ban the import of dogs with cropped ears.

Answered by Mark Spencer

We are carefully reviewing the feedback gathered from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published in due course.

The practice of non-exempted mutilations such as cropping dogs' ears is abhorrent and has rightly been banned in the UK for over 10 years.

The Government supports the Private Members’ Bill, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by the hon. Member for North Devon on restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of pets. The Bill will contain powers that will enable future regulations for commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into the United Kingdom including prohibiting the import of dogs with cropped ears.

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 117 of 2024-25

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 2024-25

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill [2023-24]

Puppy smuggling bill

We call on Parliament to amend the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill to allow exemptions for genuine rescue dogs with cropped ears or docked tails. Exemptions should apply only to registered organisations with proof of shelter origin.

Found: We call on Parliament to amend the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill to allow exemptions

We ask Parliament to include an exemption in the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill for registered charities and approved, responsible rescue organisations to rehome adult, disease tested dogs, who were previously docked as working hunting dogs abroad.

Found: We ask Parliament to include an exemption in the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

We urge Parliament to stop the part of the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill that bans puppy imports under 6 months. We would like the Government to maintain the current legal age of 15 weeks, to allow families to reunite with puppies safely and lawfully.

Found: We urge Parliament to stop the part of the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill that

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 117 of 2024-25

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill: Delegated Powers Memorandum

Found: Regulatory Reform Committee HL Paper 165 31st Report of Session 2024–25 Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: HL Bill 117-EN 59/1 ANIMAL WELFARE (IMPORT OF DOGS, CATS AND FERRETS) BILL EXPLANATORY NOTES What

Found: 42 days pregnant; (c) dogs that have been mutilated. 59/1 HL Bill 117 1 Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: principle of the extension to Northern Ireland of the provisions within the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 2024-25

Found: London SW1A 0AA 26 June 2026 Dear Tom, Legislative Consent Motion: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill [AS AMENDED IN PUBLIC BILL COMMITTEE] CONTENTS

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill [AS AMENDED IN PUBLIC BILL COMMITTEE] CONTENTS

Found: Committee Stage: Wednesday 14 May 2025 Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill (Committee

Found: Committee Stage: Wednesday 14 May 2025 Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill (Amendment

Found: Committee Stage: Tuesday 13 May 2025 Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill (Amendment

Found: 13 May 2025 ANIMAL WELFARE (IMPORT OF DOGS, CATS AND FERRETS) BILL Chair’s provision selection and

Found: of changes to the non-commercial pet travel rules brought forward in the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Committee Stage: Friday 9 May 2025 Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill (Amendment

Found: Committee Stage: Thursday 8 May 2025 Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill (Amendment

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill EXPLANA TORY NOTES Explanatory notes

Found: OFFICIAL – SENSITIVE 1 ANIMAL WELFARE (IMPORT OF DOGS, CATS AND FERRETS) BILL Memorandum from

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill EXPLANA TORY NOTES Explanatory notes

Found: Bill 28–EN 59/1 ANIMAL WELFARE (IMPORT OF DOGS , CATS AND FERRETS ) BILL EXPLANATORY

Found: Bill 28–EN 59/1 ANIMAL WELFARE (IMPORT OF DOGS , CATS AND FERRETS ) BILL EXPLANATORY

Cats APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: , highlighting the previous Bill in the last parliamentary session – the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Cats APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: - Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill Cats Protection- Secretariat The Animal

Found: in Parliament which have the potential to reform assimilated law: • The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Government response to the Animal Sentience Committee report on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill – sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP – will

Found: The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill – also supported by government – which will

Found: Delivering on a key manifesto commitment, under the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: extend to Scotland or have a potential impact in Scotland, including the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill Following the lodging of a Legislative Consent

Found: The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP, makes provision

Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) what its position is on and (b) whether it plans to prepare a legislative consent memorandum for the UK Government's Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill.

Answered by Fairlie, Jim - Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands

The Scottish Government had previously intended to progress legislative consent in the Scottish Parliament for measures to restrict the importation and non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets into the United Kingdom, before the previous Bill fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament.

It is our intention to progress legislative consent in the Scottish Parliament for this Bill, subject to the final provisions of the Bill and agreement of the Scottish Government Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation.

By working to address this issue in the Bill, important safeguards for animal welfare can be extended to Scotland to ensure we continue to strive for the best possible welfare outcomes for all animals.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to calls from Dogs Trust to ban the (a) non-commercial transport of pregnant dogs in the last 30% of their gestation period, meaning more than 42 days pregnant, as a minimum, and (b) commercial movement of pregnant dogs, to tackle any illegal puppy smuggling.

Answered by Fairlie, Jim - Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands

The Scottish Government continues to support measures to restrict the transport of pregnant dogs into the UK, having obtained legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament for this to be taken forward under the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill before this was withdrawn by the UK Government in May 2023, and having agreed in principle to seek legislative consent for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill before this fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament in May 2024.

The Scottish Government maintains that to ensure consistency of approach and the most effective outcomes, these measures would best be delivered by a UK Parliament bill. To this end, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with DEFRA on the possibility of legislation in the UK parliament to restrict the transport of pregnant dogs into the UK, along with other animal welfare measures relating to the transport of pets.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) consideration had been given to and (b) action it will take regarding Dogs Trust's calls to raise the minimum legal age for dogs travelling non-commercially into the UK to help tackle any illegal puppy smuggling.

Answered by Fairlie, Jim - Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands

The Scottish Government continues to support measures to raise the minimum legal age for dogs travelling non-commercially into the UK, having obtained legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament for this to be taken forward under the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill before this was withdrawn by the UK Government in May 2023, and having agreed in principle to seek legislative consent for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill before this fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament in May 2024.

The Scottish Government maintains that to ensure consistency of approach and the most effective outcomes, these measures would best be delivered by a UK Parliament bill. To this end, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with DEFRA on the possibility of legislation in the UK parliament to raise the minimum legal age of dogs travelling non-commercially into the UK, along with other animal welfare measures relating to the transport of pets.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07415 by Mairi Gougeon on 29 March 2022, regarding the potential impact in Scotland, what assessment it has made of Dogs Trust's recommendation that the number of pet animals able to travel to Great Britain be reduced from five to three per vehicle, in light of the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill being withdrawn.

Answered by Fairlie, Jim - Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands

The Scottish Government continues to support measures to reduce the number of dogs per vehicle which can be transported non-commercially into the UK, having obtained legislative consent from the Scottish Parliament for this to be taken forward under the UK Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill before this was withdrawn by the UK Government in May 2023, and having agreed in principle to seek legislative consent for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill before this fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament in May 2024.

The Scottish Government maintains that to ensure consistency of approach and the most effective outcomes, these measures would best be delivered by a UK Parliament bill. To this end, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with DEFRA on the possibility of legislation in the UK parliament to reduce the number of dogs per vehicle which can be transported non-commercially into the UK, along with other animal welfare measures relating to the transport of pets.

Found: example being the consideration of the legislative consent memorandum on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Metrology Bill - second supplementary memorandum 29 May 2025 Consent recommended Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Scotland and Wales) Bill Consent recommended 25 June 2025 Consent granted Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: 1 SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (MEMORANDUM NO.2) Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill (“the Bill”) was introduced in the House

Found: WG response on LCM Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill e

Found: Welsh Government response - Report on the LCM for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Government response to Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee report on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (Memorandum No. 2) on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (Memorandum No. 2) on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: Committee The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: 1 LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 1.

Found: Committee to consider and report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: powers in UK Bills (see our reports related to the Mental Health Bill, the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: our Report on the Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Found: recent reports: The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill