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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to require fishermen to be licensed in order to slaughter seals that threaten their fishing stocks.

Seal conservation is a devolved issue so I can only respond with respect to England. Approximately 85% of the UK seal population is in Scotland and the Scottish Government has its own legislation concerning the protection of seals.

Seals in England are primarily protected by the Conservation of Seals Act 1970. Under this Act, it is an offence to take or kill common and grey seals out of season or to use certain methods to kill or take, unless permitted to do so by a licence issued under the Act.

Fishermen are only permitted to kill or take seals in limited circumstances, without the need for a licence, to protect their fishing equipment or fish therein if the seal is in the vicinity of the equipment at that time.

The Conservation of Seals Act 1970 strikes a proportionate balance between the conservation and welfare of the seals and the needs of those impacted by individual problem seals. We have no plans to review this legislative protection.

There is no evidence to suggest that the limited local control of seals permitted in England is having an adverse effect on the conservation status of the UK seal population as a whole.