Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 impact of the not passing of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals Bill) on (a) pets, (b) puppy smuggling, (c) livestock and (d) live exports.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill (“the Bill”) was reintroduced to the House of Commons in May.
The Bill is part of a wider package of measures to improve animal welfare for a wide range of animals as set out in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which was published in May 2021.
The Bill will have a positive impact in relation to pets, puppy smuggling, livestock and live exports, and it will continue its passage as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the proposed bans on the export of live animals for slaughter and the import of hunting trophies; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Scott Mann
HM Government recognises the long-standing public concern with live animals being exported for slaughter and fattening, and plans to proceed with a ban on the export of livestock and horses from England, Wales and Scotland for slaughter and fattening, as set out in its response to the public consultation last year. This will be done as soon as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
We have pledged to ban the imports of hunting trophies from thousands of species. HM Government is committed to a ban that is among the strongest in the world and leads the way in protecting endangered animals. We welcome the Private Member’s Bill, led by Henry Smith MP, that will deliver this.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on (a) tackling the issue of dogs attacking livestock and (b) introducing protections for dogs, cats and ferrets being imported into the UK.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals, as well as the financial implications.
New measures to crack down on livestock worrying in England and Wales are to be introduced through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 8 June 2021 and reintroduced following the Queen's speech. The Bill has passed Committee stage in the House of Commons and will progress to Report stage as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
The new measures will enhance enforcement mechanisms available to the police and expand the scope of livestock species and locations covered by the law. Improved powers will enable the police to respond to livestock worrying incidents more effectively – making it easier for them to collect evidence and, in the most serious cases, seize and detain dogs to reduce the risk of further incidents. The scope of livestock species covered by the legislation will be extended to include animals such as llamas, emus, enclosed deer and donkeys. New locations will include roads and paths, as long as the livestock have not strayed into a road.
All reported instances of livestock worrying should be taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill includes a range of ancillary orders available to the court following conviction, such as control, disqualification and destruction orders. These orders are aimed at targeting and reducing reoffending.
With regards to protections for imported animals, the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill also allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of cats, dogs and ferrets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
In August 2021, the Government launched an eight-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain, which could be introduced under these Bill powers. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary response in due course. This will allow us to take on board the views of the public and interested groups on puppy smuggling and low welfare imports in order to shape our future policy.