Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that cats are included in the Animal Welfare Strategy.

The Animal Welfare Strategy was published on 22 December and sets out priorities for animal welfare, focusing on the changes and improvements the Government aim to achieve by 2030.

In the Strategy Defra has committed to take steps to improve the uptake of the pet selling licence by those who sell cats and kittens as pets. The department will also improve its understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

Cats will benefit from broader measures outlined in the Strategy including tackling low welfare imports and implementing the measures contained in the Renters’ Rights Act to make it easier for tenants to keep pets in rented accommodation.