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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use of (a) electronic shock collars used in conjunction with containment fences for cats, (b) other electric shock collars and (c) other aversive training devices.

We have laid legislation for approval by Parliament which will ban the use of hand-controlled electronic training collars that deliver an electric shock to cats and dogs given their scope to cause harm and be misused.

The ban will not extend to other types of collars which are controlled by hand-held devices.

We do not plan to extend the prohibition to the use of invisible fencing or containment systems.