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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the UK plans to ratify the International Agreement on Humane Trapping Standards.

We recently consulted on the implementation of the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) and will be introducing legislation to implement the trapping standards set out in AIHTS into UK domestic legislation. We will publish the Government’s response to the consultation this summer.

We already test spring traps to the same welfare standards as set out in AIHTS. Implementation of AIHTS will also introduce new welfare standards for live capture traps for species covered by the Agreement.

We already implement Council Regulation (EEC) No 3254/91 (“the Leghold Trap Regulation”). The Regulation prohibits the use of leghold traps in the EU, as well as the importation of pelts of certain species from countries which permit the use of leghold traps or methods which do not meet international humane trapping standards. We will ensure the operability of the Leghold Trap Regulation in UK domestic legislation post EU Exit.

Becoming a full party to AIHTS would require the Government to ensure the UK had no restrictive trade measures on fur imports from the other contracting parties. This would therefore prohibit any future Government from introducing a comprehensive ban on fur imports, should it wish to do so.