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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the (a) escape and (b) illegal release of non-native wild animals from captivity.

As this is a devolved matter this answer applies to England only.

Section 14(1) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it illegal to release or allow to escape into the wild, any animal or plant which is not ordinarily resident in Great Britain and is not a regular visitor to Great Britain in a wild state, or is listed in Schedule 9 to the Act. Breaches of this legislation could lead to an unlimited fine and/or two years imprisonment on indictment.

In addition to the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, Orders made in accordance with the Import of Live Fish Act 1980 prohibit the unlicensed keeping or release of 47 species of non-native live fish and all non-native crayfish species.