Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 reduce the incidence of nitrogen dioxide levels exceeding the legal limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
In May, the Government published a consultation on the draft UK air quality plan for tackling nitrogen dioxide. We are considering responses to the consultation and the final plan is due to be published by 31 July.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to adopt the legislative recommendations made by the International Fund for Animal Welfare in its Standing up for puppies campaign better to protect puppies in the UK.
Answered by George Eustice
My Department is in the process of reviewing the animal establishment licencing schemes, including those that regulate the breeding and selling of dogs, with the aim of improving animal welfare and reducing burdens on businesses and local authorities. We note the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)’s campaign to ban third party sales of dogs. We consider that the best way forward is to improve welfare standards for both licensed dog breeders and pet sellers.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 she has made of the level and extent of maltreatment of animals in slaughterhouses; and whether she has plans to tackle such maltreatment.
Answered by George Eustice
Official veterinarians (OVs) from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are present in all approved slaughterhouses in England and take a prompt, proportionate and risk based approach to enforcement action when animal welfare breaches are identified. The numbers of these cases identified by the FSA for the period from April 2014 to June 2016 were published on the FSA website in August 2016 following a Freedom of Information Act request. The FSA have developed an action plan in regards to animal welfare in slaughterhouses which aims to “Deter, Prevent, Detect, Enforce”. An Animal Welfare Steering Group was set up by the FSA to oversee the delivery of its animal welfare action plan.
Defra works closely with the FSA to ensure that the welfare of animals is maintained in all slaughterhouses. There is a wide ranging, systemic programme of animal welfare activity including strengthened verification of compliance through the establishment of welfare assurance teams; a welfare themed audit programme; targeted unannounced inspections; additional checks for non-compliant business operators; and improved education and instruction through an animal welfare publicity campaign in slaughterhouses.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 develop a clear definition of commercial pet sales to protect the welfare of cats and kittens.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is currently reviewing the laws on the selling of pet animals. Issues relating to the definition of a business constitute part of those considerations.