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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government next plans to review compliance with the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Every year 800 to 1,000 people are successfully prosecuted for animal cruelty and poor welfare. The Government has announced that it will increase the maximum penalties for animal cruelty ten-fold from six months’ imprisonment to five years’ imprisonment. The EFRA Select Committee held inquiries into aspects of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in 2010/11 and in 2016, and the Government currently has no immediate plans to further review compliance with the 2006 Act.