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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the level of compliance by puppy farms with regulations relating to the breeding and sale of puppies.

Defra has not made any assessment of the level of compliance with dog breeding regulations. It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that licensed dog breeders comply with the relevant regulations. On 13 November, my department wrote to all local authorities in England reminding them of the definition of a licensed dog breeding establishment under the relevant legislation in order to ensure that dog breeders are appropriately regulated.