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 evidence there is that sustainable hunting has led to an increase of wildlife in African trophy hunting concession areas.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has previously commissioned a report by Professor Macdonald on Lion Conservation with Particular Respect to the Issue of Trophy Hunting. This report found that the primary benefit associated with trophy hunting is the protection of wildlife habitat by reducing the major threat of habitat loss. Lion trophy hunting enables land to be maintained under wildlife-based land use and often prevents the conversion of the area to other forms of land use such as agriculture. This habitat protection is also important for many other species, including endangered species. The report notes that a total area of around 1.4 million km2 was conserved for trophy-hunting in sub-Saharan Africa, which exceeded the area of national parks in those countries by 22%. The report also cited studies on the number of jobs supported by trophy hunting.
Environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) take different views on trophy hunting. My Hon. friend may be interested in the evidence cited by the
IUCN (https://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/iucn_informingdecisionsontrophyhuntingv1_1.pdf)
and Save the Rhino (https://www.savetherhino.org/assets/0001/7279/What_is_trophy_hunting.pdf).
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, whether there is evidence that rural communities in (a) Tanzania, (b) Zambia and (c) Zimbabwe have benefited from lion trophy hunting in those countries.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has previously commissioned a report by Professor Macdonald on Lion Conservation with Particular Respect to the Issue of Trophy Hunting. This report found that the primary benefit associated with trophy hunting is the protection of wildlife habitat by reducing the major threat of habitat loss. Lion trophy hunting enables land to be maintained under wildlife-based land use and often prevents the conversion of the area to other forms of land use such as agriculture. This habitat protection is also important for many other species, including endangered species. The report notes that a total area of around 1.4 million km2 was conserved for trophy-hunting in sub-Saharan Africa, which exceeded the area of national parks in those countries by 22%. The report also cited studies on the number of jobs supported by trophy hunting.
Environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) take different views on trophy hunting. My Hon. friend may be interested in the evidence cited by the
IUCN (https://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/iucn_informingdecisionsontrophyhuntingv1_1.pdf)
and Save the Rhino (https://www.savetherhino.org/assets/0001/7279/What_is_trophy_hunting.pdf).
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 she has made of the implications for her policy on self-regulation of the animal establishment licensing industry of the performance of (a) the City of London Corporation and Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association partnership in being the first primary authority scheme to include an inspection plan to cover animal establishments and to be a co-ordinated partnership and (b) other similar recent schemes; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
Partnerships of this kind can make a valuable contribution to improving animal welfare. There are other examples where industry, animal welfare or animal keeping representative groups have provided local authorities with advice or training in relation to animal welfare work. We are pleased that this particular industry is working closely with local authorities, and the City of London specifically, to improve the quality of inspections and look forward to seeing welfare improvements as a consequence.
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, if she will publish best practice guidelines for people carrying out the control agreements and orders introduced under the Infrastructure Act 2015 to ensure that animals are killed in the most humane way possible.
Answered by George Eustice
We will be consulting publicly later this year on the code of practice that accompanies these measures. The code will include guidance on the standards of animal welfare to be met in connection with species control agreements and orders.
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, how many kittens and cats entered the UK under the EU Pet Travel Scheme in each of the last three years.
Answered by George Eustice
Information on the number of cats entering Great Britain on approved routes under the EU pet travel scheme is provided below:
Year | Number of cats entering |
2012 | 14,601 |
2013 | 14,147 |
2014 | 15,081 |
This data was extracted from the Pets Database on 13 March 2015 and does not distinguish between kittens and adult cats.
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 her Department has made of the number of cats that have been brought into the UK illegally in the last three years.
Answered by George Eustice
The number of cats identified as being non-compliant with either the pet travel scheme (Regulation 576/2013) or the commercial trade and import regime (Balai Directive 92/65) and subsequently licensed into quarantine in Great Britain is provided below:
Year | Number of cats quarantined |
2012 | 101 |
2013 | 83 |
2014 | 99 |
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, how and when the Government plans to evaluate the effectiveness of measures under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to prevent attacks by dogs on other animals.
Answered by George Eustice
The 2014 Act makes important changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, in particular the provision of a specific offence of a dog attack on an assistance dog. The police are working closely with charities that support assisted persons to ensure effective implementation of the new offence. In addition, Government is keen to maximise the effectiveness of the new anti-social behaviour powers and their use by practitioners in relation to dog control and welfare. Government will monitor the practical implementation of the new powers and will keep their operation under close review with our partners. As with all new legislation, Government will have to carry out post-legislative scrutiny 3-5 years after Royal Assent.
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 she has made of the potential effect of changes introduced by her Department to the EU pet travel scheme which came into force on 29 December 2014 on illegal imports of puppies to the UK from other EU countries; what discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on abuse of the PETS system to illegally import puppies for sale; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
A new EU Pet Travel Regulation (576/2013) came into force on 29 December 2014 and introduced changes designed to improve the security of the scheme and traceability of the pet passport. These changes include a requirement that pets must be at least 12 weeks old when they are vaccinated against rabies. This means that, under the new EU rules, pets must be at least 15 weeks old to enter the UK.
Responsibility for stopping the illegal movement of puppies begins in the country where they are born, where the authorities have a duty to ensure that the welfare of pets intended for sale is safeguarded and that EU pet passports are issued correctly. Following a recent report by the Dogs Trust ‘The Puppy Smuggling Scandal’ published in November 2014, the Chief Veterinary Officer wrote to the authorities in the countries highlighted in the report and follow up action has been taken. Defra officials will continue to act on reports of abuse of the pet travel scheme.
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, if she will make an assessment of the potential benefits of amending England's dog breeding legislation in a manner similar to that contained in the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulation 2014; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government considers that local authorities have the necessary powers to ensure the welfare of dogs at licensed dog breeding establishments under existing laws in England. In addition, my department wrote to all local authorities in England reminding them that the criteria for deciding if a dog breeder needs to be licensed is whether they are in the business of breeding and selling dogs, regardless of the number of litters bred or sold in a twelve month period.
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, if she will make representations to the government of Japan about the killing of wild dolphins in Taiji.
Answered by George Eustice
We have raised the UK’s continuing concerns over the hunting of small cetaceans in Japanese waters, including in Taiji, on several occasions this year. I wrote to my Japanese counterpart in February, and HM Ambassador to Japan wrote to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs in January.
Furthermore, the UK’s Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) raised this issue at the biennial meeting of the IWC in September 2014, as well as directly with the Japanese Commissioner to the IWC in bilateral meetings and with a representative from the Japanese Embassy in early December.
The UK Government will continue to express its opposition to the Japanese small cetacean hunts at every appropriate opportunity.