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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Department takes to monitor and enforce compliance with disqualification orders for animal ownership.

Under section 34(9) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is a criminal offence to breach a disqualification order. The police and local authority inspectors have powers to investigate offences and take enforcement action where such orders are breached, and local authorities may bring prosecutions.

In practice, monitoring and enforcement activity is informed by a combination of intelligence and risk led approaches to assess compliance with animal welfare legislation.