Asked by: Baroness Fookes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many truckloads of (1) sheep, and (2) calves, were exported for slaughter or fattening from the port of Ramsgate between 1 January 2019 and the latest date for which figures are available; and how many were subject to supervised loading by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
83 consignments of sheep but no consignments of calves were exported for slaughter or fattening from the port of Ramsgate between 1 January 2019 and 30 July 2020. Of these, 76 consignments were subject to supervised loading at the premises of origin by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
One consignment that was not subject to supervised loading at the premises of origin was supervised when loading additional animals prior to arrival at Ramsgate. The remainder of consignments that were not subject to supervised loading at the premises of origin were subject to additional checks by APHA staff at the port of exit.
The above figures are based on journey logs issued rather than the number of truckloads; occasionally one vehicle may have more than one journey log for each trip.
We have a manifesto commitment to end excessively long journeys for live animals going for slaughter and fattening, which is an opportunity we have gained through leaving the EU. We intend to issue a consultation on how we deliver on that commitment in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Fookes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many infringement notices in relation to breaches of animal welfare regulations were issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency between 1 January 2019 and the latest date for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Six Statutory Notices were served relating to breaches of animal welfare regulations. All of the notices related to consignments of sheep exported for slaughter or fattening for the period 1 January 2019 and 30 July 2020.
We have a manifesto commitment to end excessively long journeys for live animals going for slaughter and fattening, which is an opportunity we have gained through leaving the EU. We intend to issue a consultation on how we deliver on that commitment in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Fookes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what urgent steps they intend to take explicitly to ban the slaughter of dogs for human consumption in the UK.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
I can assure you that the Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare, including the welfare of dogs, and we are committed to making the UK a world leader in protection of animals as we leave the EU. The Government has made wide ranging commitments on animal welfare.
The Government is appalled by the prospect of dogs being consumed. However, it is already illegal to sell dog meat for human consumption and the Government has seen no evidence that dog meat is being sold or consumed in this country. We are confident that the current position in this country sends a clear message that the slaughter and consumption of dogs will never be acceptable.