Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of healthy dogs that are euthanised each year in the UK; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to legally require vets to scan for rescue back up contact details on microchips and confirm the person presenting the animal is registered on the microchip prior to euthanising a healthy or treatable animal.
Answered by Scott Mann
The Department does not hold data on the number of dogs euthanised each year.
We committed in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare to seek greater assurance that alternatives to euthanasia are explored before a healthy dog is put down.
In 2021, we worked closely with the veterinary profession to develop an approach that works for all parties. Following these discussions, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons agreed to incorporate the principle of scanning before euthanasia into the guidance that underpins their Code of Professional Conduct, which applies to all veterinary surgeons practising in the UK.
The Code requires veterinary surgeons to scan for a microchip in dogs prior to euthanasia where, in their professional judgement, it is not necessary to put the dog down on animal health or welfare grounds.
In addition, we recently held a consultation on proposed changes to the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 to consider whether a microchip database record should include a ‘back-up support’ field to record the contact details of a person who may offer the animal an alternative to euthanasia in certain circumstances. We are currently analysing the consultation responses and will issue our response to the consultation later this year.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
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 Nature Recovery Green Paper on the protection of (a) bats and (b) bat habitats.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
No specific assessments of the potential impact on the Nature Recovery Green Paper on the protection of bats and their habitats have been made. The Nature Recovery Green Paper set out our proposals to create a legislative system for nature which better reflects the latest science and impending impacts of climate change, tailored to our native species such as bats.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to bring forward its Animals Abroad Bill; and whether that proposed legislation will include a ban on the import of hunting trophies.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We have already introduced our Animal Sentience and Kept Animals Bills to Parliament and published the Government's Action Plan for Animal Welfare. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare demonstrates this Government's commitment to animals both at home and abroad.
We have pledged to bring forward legislation to ban imports of hunting trophies from thousands of species. This ban looks to go beyond our manifesto commitment and it will be among the strongest in the world, leading the way in protecting endangered animals and helping to strengthen and support long-term conservation. We intend to bring this forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department will publish its response to the consultation on Fur market in Great Britain, which closed on 28 June 2021.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The recent call for evidence published by Defra on the fur trade in Great Britain was a key step in helping us to meet the commitment set out in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare to better understand the fur sector in Great Britain and gather evidence from those with an interest in it.
We received around 30,000 responses from businesses, representative bodies and individuals, demonstrating the strong public interest in this area. A summary of responses setting out the results and key findings will be published soon.