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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to regulate animal rescue homes and centres.

The Government takes the welfare of pets very seriously. The Government is committed to banning the third party sale of puppies and kittens in England and the necessary secondary legislation will be laid before Parliament later in this session.

We recognise the concern that some unscrupulous breeders may consider setting up as rescue and rehoming centres, and we will provide guidance to local authorities to help them distinguish between genuine rescue and rehoming centres and other commercial operations.

In parallel we are working with stakeholders to understand the impact any licensing scheme would have on the sector. Further detail on the Government’s overall approach to the licensing of animal rescue and rehoming centres was set out in a Westminster Hall debate on animal rescue homes on 26 February 2019.