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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2019 to Question 232542 on Animal Welfare: Sentencing, whether bringing forward legislative proposals is a priority for his Department; and what the timeframe is for the introduction of those legislative proposals.

We are committed to the highest standards of animal welfare and the Government has announced that it will increase the custodial maximum penalty for animal cruelty from 6 months’ to 5 years’ imprisonment as soon as Parliamentary time allows.