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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licensed dog breeders there were in England as of 1 March 2023; and how many of those breed more than three litters a year.

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, local authorities are required to provide an annual return detailing the number of licences in force on 1^st April each year, and the average fees associated with the grant or renewal of each licence. There is no requirement for local authorities to provide information on licence holders’ commercial activities, such as the number of litters bred by a licenced dog breeder. Under the 2018 Regulations, local authorities have until 31^st May each year to provide their returns. Data from 2022 is published by Defra and can be found here: Local Authority Licensing of Activities involving Animals returns - data.gov.uk