Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 the potential impact of reformed dog‑breeding practices on long‑term health problems.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government has committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform to improve the health and welfare of breeding dogs and their puppies. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet. Defra will continue to engage with stakeholders as this develops.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that animal rescue and rehoming centres are subject to the same licensing requirements as other animal-related establishments.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure consistent animal welfare standards in animal rescue and rehoming centres.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will list the stakeholders her Department consulted in developing the Animal Welfare Strategy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December and sets out our priorities for animal welfare, focusing on the changes and improvements the department aim to achieve by 2030.
The Animal Welfare Strategy has been developed in conjunction with key stakeholders including representatives of the companion, wild companion, wild animal and farming sectors along with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and those involved in enforcement. The department has held roundtable discussions on priorities whilst working to understand the underlying issues that lead to poor welfare. The department also received input from a wide range of other interested parties. Defra will continue to engage with stakeholders as we deliver on the strategy.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to end puppy farming.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to ending puppy farming and the low welfare breeding of dogs. As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government has committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to launch the consultation on banning the use of electric shock collars.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is concerned about the possible welfare implications of the use of electric shock collars.
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, we will consult on whether to ban the use of electric shock collars later in this Parliament.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether additional resources will be provided to police forces to enforce tougher penalties for livestock worrying.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department will continue to engage with the police to ensure that they are fully prepared to enforce the new powers introduced by the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025.
The measures will come into effect on 18 March 2026. We will also work closely with the police to monitor how enforcement operates in practice after the measures have come into force.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which public body will oversee mandatory licensing for domestic rescue and rehoming organisations.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra will launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations, including on how such a scheme should be administered, in due course.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what role local councils will play in the Animal Welfare Strategy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local councils have long played a vital role in animal welfare, across a wide range of functions. This includes their established responsibilities for animal activity licensing, Zoo Licencing, the management of stray dogs, and supporting compliance with health and welfare standards in farming.
The Animal Welfare Strategy acknowledges and reaffirms this vital role, committing to continued close working with local councils, in developing, implementing and enforcing animal welfare policies.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of livestock worrying on the finances of farming communities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has taken steps to address the financial impact of livestock worrying on farming communities through the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025.
The 2025 Act amends the 1953 Act, introducing new measures to tackle the serious issue of livestock worrying, modernising the definitions and scope, strengthening police powers to collect evidence and prosecute offenders, and increasing the maximum penalty from a fine of £1,000 to an “unlimited” fine to act as a deterrent.