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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the number of smuggled animal exports in each of last five years; and whether she intends to bring forward legislation to ban live exports of (a) horses, (b) donkeys, (c) ponies and (d) all animals for slaughter.

No assessment has been made of “smuggled” animal exports.

We will be bringing forward the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill in this session of Parliament. The Bill will ban the export from Great Britain of cattle; sheep; goats; pigs; and horses and other equines, including donkeys and ponies, for slaughter and fattening.