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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a certification system to help prevent the (a) selling and (b) purchasing of pets that have not been neutered.

Owners of cats and dogs are supported by the Government’s welfare codes of practice, which can be found here: Code of practice for the welfare of dogs and Code of practice for the welfare of cats. The codes signpost owners to advice on neutering.

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, commercial sellers of pets are required to give purchasers advice on the care of the animals bought. For cats, dogs, rabbits and ferrets, this specifically includes reproductive health matters such as neutering.

The Government is not currently considering changes to its advice or regulations on the neutering of cats, dogs or other pets.