Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
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 set up a national database for dog and cat microchips.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are not proposing to create a single cat and dog microchip database. Database operators are commercial enterprises which offer a range of services and provide choice for pet owners.
A consultation seeking views on changes to the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 closed on 20th May 2022 and we are analysing the responses. The consultation sought views on creating a single point of access facility for approved users to quickly search compliant databases for a microchip record. We intend for this to also apply to cat microchip records.
This is a devolved matter and these developments relate to the situation applying in England.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislation to stop holiday firms promoting experiences with Asian elephants to tourists.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 21 June to the hon. Member for Crawley, PQ 19607.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support the Government is providing to farmers who are struggling to manage the outbreak of sheep scab, or psoroptic mange, on their farms.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Endemic diseases like sheep scab affect animal health and welfare, as well as productivity. As set out in the 25 year Environment Plan and the Agricultural Transition Plan: June 2021 progress update, we are working with industry to reduce the impact of endemic diseases, including through the launch in 2022 of an Annual Health and Welfare Review for eligible livestock farmers.
Sheep Scab initiatives are currently managed at a local level but we are working with Devolved Administrations to plan how we tackle the condition across regions.
A group of experts have recently been successful in a bid for funding from Defra via the Rural Development Programme for England to lead a two-year community-led project to improve the control of sheep scab in three hot spot areas where scab currently presents a significant problem: the North West, the Midlands and the South West. Farmers participating in this initiative will receive a unique combination of on-farm advice, best practice training, and free blood testing.
Farmers seeking further advice on sheep scab can contact the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures the Government is taking to work with devolved nations to tackle the spread of sheep scab across the regions.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Endemic diseases like sheep scab affect animal health and welfare, as well as productivity. As set out in the 25 year Environment Plan and the Agricultural Transition Plan: June 2021 progress update, we are working with industry to reduce the impact of endemic diseases, including through the launch in 2022 of an Annual Health and Welfare Review for eligible livestock farmers.
Sheep Scab initiatives are currently managed at a local level but we are working with Devolved Administrations to plan how we tackle the condition across regions.
A group of experts have recently been successful in a bid for funding from Defra via the Rural Development Programme for England to lead a two-year community-led project to improve the control of sheep scab in three hot spot areas where scab currently presents a significant problem: the North West, the Midlands and the South West. Farmers participating in this initiative will receive a unique combination of on-farm advice, best practice training, and free blood testing.
Farmers seeking further advice on sheep scab can contact the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures the Government is taking to work with key stakeholders to manage the spread of sheep scab, or psoroptic mange, in England.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Endemic diseases like sheep scab affect animal health and welfare, as well as productivity. As set out in the 25 year Environment Plan and the Agricultural Transition Plan: June 2021 progress update, we are working with industry to reduce the impact of endemic diseases, including through the launch in 2022 of an Annual Health and Welfare Review for eligible livestock farmers.
Sheep Scab initiatives are currently managed at a local level but we are working with Devolved Administrations to plan how we tackle the condition across regions.
A group of experts have recently been successful in a bid for funding from Defra via the Rural Development Programme for England to lead a two-year community-led project to improve the control of sheep scab in three hot spot areas where scab currently presents a significant problem: the North West, the Midlands and the South West. Farmers participating in this initiative will receive a unique combination of on-farm advice, best practice training, and free blood testing.
Farmers seeking further advice on sheep scab can contact the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licensed animal breeders there are in the (a) United Kingdom and (b) Clacton constituency.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 came into force on 1 October 2018. These regulations replace outdated Acts, and are based on modern welfare standards. The Regulations include a requirement for local authorities to submit data to Defra each year on the number of licences in force for each licensable activity. The first submission will be required to be submitted to Defra by 31 May 2019 covering the period October 2018 to March 2019 inclusive. Therefore, the Department does not currently hold data on the number of licensed dog breeders under these regulations. Under the previous legislation, there were an estimated 4,950 licensed dog breeders in England.
Breeders of animals other than dogs are not subject to licensing requirements, unless they are in the business of selling the animals as pets. Under the previous legislation there were an estimated 2,300 licensed pet sellers in England, but this includes sellers that do not breed the animals themselves.
Defra does not hold data on the whole of the UK or for individual Parliamentary constituencies. This information is held by Local Authorities.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licensed dog breeders there are in the (a) UK and (b) Clacton constituency.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 came into force on 1 October 2018. These regulations replace outdated Acts, and are based on modern welfare standards. The Regulations include a requirement for local authorities to submit data to Defra each year on the number of licences in force for each licensable activity. The first submission will be required to be submitted to Defra by 31 May 2019 covering the period October 2018 to March 2019 inclusive. Therefore, the Department does not currently hold data on the number of licensed dog breeders under these regulations. Under the previous legislation, there were an estimated 4,950 licensed dog breeders in England.
Breeders of animals other than dogs are not subject to licensing requirements, unless they are in the business of selling the animals as pets. Under the previous legislation there were an estimated 2,300 licensed pet sellers in England, but this includes sellers that do not breed the animals themselves.
Defra does not hold data on the whole of the UK or for individual Parliamentary constituencies. This information is held by Local Authorities.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to expand the size of UK’s Blue Belt.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government is currently consulting on the Third Tranche of Marine Conservation Zones which closes on 20 July. In this consultation we are proposing 41 new sites, covering an area of 11,700 km2. If all 41 new sites are designated then a total of 218,000 km2 will be protected in the UK’s Blue Belt.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
When his Department plans to publish its response to the evidence that it received on banning third party sales of puppies and kittens in England.
Answered by George Eustice
We will set out the results of our call for evidence in due course.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
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 plans to replicate the Northern Ireland dog licencing system in England and Wales.
Answered by George Eustice
Since April 2016 every dog in Great Britain is required to be microchipped with the keeper’s details. Over 90% of dog owners are compliant with the microchipping requirement which allows dogs to be traced back to their keeper and if the dog strays allows dog and keeper to be reunited quickly. There are no plans to reintroduce the dog licence in England.