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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what protections he plans to put in place to ensure that small breeders are not disadvantaged because of the planned imposition of the £1000 trading allowance in the forthcoming animal welfare legislation.

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 which came into force on 1 October, dog breeders must be licensed if they are in the business of breeding and selling dogs, or if they breed three or more litters a year and sell any of the puppies. Guidance for local authorities reflects that the Government announced in 2016 a new allowance of £1,000 for trading income from April 2017. Anyone falling under that threshold will not need to be considered as a business, and the guidance is clear that the regulations are aimed at businesses and not hobby breeders.