Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is taking steps to (a) increase regulation and (b) ensure the (i) safety and (ii) welfare of professional racing horses.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
HM Government shares the public's high regard for animal welfare, and we are committed to making the United Kingdom a world leader in the protection of animals. The welfare needs of racehorses, both during their racing lives and afterwards, should be a priority for all involved in the horseracing sector.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), British racing's governing and regulatory body, is responsible for the safety of racehorses at British racecourses. The BHA works alongside the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make horseracing as safe as possible.
We encourage anyone with evidence that a racehorse has suffered unnecessarily to get in touch with the BHA and share their concerns. In the most severe cases of misuse, an individual may be investigated under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act, as well as receiving significant sanctions from the sport.
HM Government welcomed the creation of the racing industry's Horse Welfare Board (HWB), which was formed in March 2019. The Board includes members from across the racing industry, veterinarians and animal health and welfare experts. The HWB set out a strategic plan to improve the welfare of horses before, during and after their racing careers in its 2020 publication, A Life Well Lived. You can find the publication here: https://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/a-life-well-lived-british-racings-horse-welfare-board-publishes-five-year-welfare-strategy/
My department will continue to meet with the BHA and the HWB to discuss progress on implementing recommendations from the strategy, including the recommendations from the Whip Consultation Report. We will continue to engage with the sector to ensure that the welfare of racehorses remain at the forefront of the BHA's priorities.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of banning e-collars on the number of dog attacks on livestock in England in the context of the report in the Sunday Telegraph on 27 March entitled Dog e-collar ban increases livestock deaths.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The proposed ban on the use of electric shock collars controlled by hand-held devices was developed after considering a broad range of factors, including the potential impacts of such a ban. HM Government considered academic research, public consultation responses, and direct engagement with the sector and concluded that these devices present an unacceptable risk to the welfare of dogs and cats and that their use should not be permitted.
HM Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals, as well as the financial implications. Data on the number, and outcome, of recorded incidents of livestock worrying is held by individual police forces. All reported instances of livestock worrying should be taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, introduced in Parliament on 8th June 2021, includes new measures to crack down on livestock worrying in England and Wales.
Meanwhile we maintain that it is best practice to keep your dog on a lead around livestock. Natural England recently published a refreshed version of the Countryside Code, which highlights that it is best practice to keep dogs on a lead around livestock. The Code also makes specific reference to keeping dogs in sight and under control to make sure they stay away from livestock, wildlife, horses and other people unless invited. Moreover, the Code helpfully sets out certain legal requirements, encouraging visitors to always check local signs as there are locations where you must keep your dog on a lead around livestock for all or part of the year.
The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs includes guidance and reminders for owners about their responsibilities to provide for the welfare needs of their animal, but also to keep their dogs safe and under control. The code of practice is available here:
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure the UK was adequately prepared for the level 4 alert issued for 18 and 19 July 2022 under the Heatwave Plan for England.
Answered by Steve Double
Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a continuous supply of wholesome water. They are legally required to have robust plans in place to maintain the supply of water in a range of hazards, including heatwaves. Water companies use a range of measures to manage higher water demand expected during heatwaves and respond to any disruption. These measures include ensuring their networks are prepared, customer communications to help manage demand, re-routing of water via their networks, and the provision of alternative water supplies, for example via tanker deliveries. In the event of disruptions, water companies also maintain priority access registers, which vulnerable customers can register with for provision of bottled water.
We issued reminders to animal owners that it is their responsibility to have plans in place to ensure their animals' welfare in extreme weather. This included publishing content on protecting companion animals in hot weather, and direct messaging from the Chief Veterinary Officer and the Animal and Plant Health Agency focused on transporting livestock and horses. Comprehensive guidance is available online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/keeping-farm-animals-and-horses-in-extreme-weather on protecting animals in hot weather, including advice on checking on animals more regularly, ensuring all animals have easy access to water on a daily basis, and not transporting animals in temperatures over 30 degrees.
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, built on supply from diverse sources including strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes ensuring that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply. Defra has well-established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. We continue to keep the extreme weather situation under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which Defra and the Devolved Administrations set up to monitor the UK market situation across all key agricultural commodities. We have also increased engagement with the industry to supplement Government analysis with real-time intelligence. This provides the Government with the best possible intelligence on how the sector is performing.
Given the health threat and the impacts observed in summer 2021, additional work has been taken forward by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Health and Social Care to raise awareness of the health consequences of hot weather and enable professionals, organisations and individuals to plan, mitigate and respond to hot weather episodes effectively. These include:
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that domestic pets are not put at risk during a period of extreme heat.
Answered by Steve Double
We are acutely aware of the potential risks that hot weather creates for pets. Defra has issued communications over the last week to give tips to pet owners on steps to take in hot weather to keep their pets safe. This includes social media posts on how to keep your dog or cat cool, encouraging pet owners to know the signs of heatstroke:https://twitter.com/DefraGovUK/status/1548215892692963329?s=20&t=eQ0yptnzMwlN0QlkDXa8sA and guidance on caring for horses in extreme weather: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/keeping-farm-animals-and-horses-in-extreme-weather.
A number of veterinary and animal welfare organisations have also published advice and guidance for pet owners on caring for their pets during periods of extreme heat. For example, The British Veterinary Association issued advice to pet owners on keeping pets safe during hot weather which you can find here: https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/news-article/sunscreen-shade-and-sunset-walkies-vets-issue-urgent-heatwave-advice-as-temperatures-set-to-rival-2018-record/. World Horse Welfare also provided advice on caring for horses: https://int.worldhorsewelfare.org/news/hot-weather-and-horses.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many dogs have been euthanised by (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies of his Department since July 2021.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Collation and verification of Military Working Animal (MWA) End of Service data, including information on deaths and euthanasia, is undertaken annually. For the 2021 calendar year 12 dogs and 11 horses were euthanised under veterinary grounds and 1 dog was euthanised for safety reasons. All were carried out by qualified veterinary surgeons.
MWA are only ever euthanised to prevent their unnecessary suffering or because they pose an unacceptable risk. The decision to euthanise is always made by a registered veterinary surgeon, who is required to have taken into consideration each individual animal’s specific health and welfare needs.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many animals of each species in the service of his Department were euthanised in the last 12 months.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Collation and verification of Military Working Animal (MWA) End of Service data, including information on deaths and euthanasia, is undertaken annually. For the 2021 calendar year 12 dogs and 11 horses were euthanised under veterinary grounds and 1 dog was euthanised for safety reasons. All were carried out by qualified veterinary surgeons.
MWA are only ever euthanised to prevent their unnecessary suffering or because they pose an unacceptable risk. The decision to euthanise is always made by a registered veterinary surgeon, who is required to have taken into consideration each individual animal’s specific health and welfare needs.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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 he has made of the impact of banning e-collars on the number of dogs being shot by farmers for attacking sheep.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Data on the number, and outcome, of recorded incidents of livestock worrying is held by individual police forces rather than centrally by Defra. The proposed ban on the use of electric shock collars controlled by hand-held devices, or e-collars, in England was developed after considering a broad range of factors, including the impact of a ban. When considered alongside the academic research, the public consultation responses, and direct engagement with the sector, the Government concluded that e-collars present an unacceptable risk to the welfare of dogs and cats and that their use should not be permitted.
The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals, as well as the financial implications. New measures to crack down on livestock worrying in England and Wales are to be brought in through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 8 June 2021.
Meanwhile we maintain that it is best practice to keep your dog on a lead around livestock. Natural England recently published a refreshed version of the Countryside Code, which highlights that it is best practice to keep dogs on a lead around livestock. The Code also makes specific reference to keeping dogs in sight and under control to make sure they stay away from livestock, wildlife, horses and other people unless invited. Moreover, the Code helpfully sets out certain legal requirements, encouraging visitors to always check local signs as there are locations where you must keep your dog on a lead around livestock for all or part of the year.
The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs includes guidance and reminders for owners about their responsibilities to provide for the welfare needs of their animal, but also to keep their dogs safe and under control. The code of practice is available here:
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made with the horse racing sector to address animal welfare issues, including fatality levels.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare, including the welfare of racehorses. Ensuring the welfare needs of racehorses are well met throughout their entire life, is a priority. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), British racing’s governing and regulatory body, is responsible for the safety of racehorses at British racecourses. The BHA works alongside the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make horseracing as safe as possible.
The racing industry’s independent Horse Welfare Board (HWB) was formed in 2019 and includes members from across the racing industry, veterinarians and animal health and welfare experts. We have welcomed their recent publications, including “A Life Well Lived” (copy attached to this answer) which sets out a strategic plan to improve the welfare of horses before, during and after their racing career. The strategy contains 20 recommendations and 26 specific projects for the industry aimed at ensuring the best possible safety and quality of life for racehorses. The Board has subsequently produced “Euthanasis Guidelines" and published an “Aftercare Funding Review” which recommends a strategic approach to aftercare in Britain, applicable to any horse bred for racing. The public consultation on the use of the whip opened on 1 July 2021 and closed on 6 September 2021. The BHA published a “Whip Consultation Update" in January 2022 and we look forward to seeing the results of the consultation and the BHA’s recommendations.
One of the plan’s five identified outcomes (outcome 3 - 'Best possible safety') aims to reduce and minimise, as far as reasonably possible, avoidable injuries and fatalities to racehorses. This targets a reduction in injuries and fatalities on racecourses but also those that occur in, or as a result of, training or pre-training methods, or which are linked to breeding. The HWB has underlined the importance of data to better understand the causes of injuries and fatalities to help achieve this outcome. A number of projects and initiatives have been identified, at varying stages of development, aimed at capturing more information that could identify actions which would reduce the risk of racehorse injuries and fatalities.
Defra Ministers and officials will continue to engage with the sector to ensure that the welfare of racehorses and reducing the fatalities and injuries that result from racing, remain at the forefront of the BHA’s priorities in delivering the plan’s outcomes. We will be monitoring closely how the industry responds to the Board’s recommendations so that the welfare needs of racehorses are met both during and after their racing lives.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the study entitled Evaluation of an aversion-based program designed to reduce predation of native birds by dogs: An analysis of training records for 1156 dogs, published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science in June 2017.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We appreciate that the right approach for pet owners to take in managing and controlling their dog’s behaviour differs from both person to person and from pet to pet. Defra would advise all owners who are concerned about controlling their dog’s behaviour, for whatever reason, to take advice from their vet or a suitably qualified dog behaviourist or trainer. Such specialists would be best positioned to advise on the best approach for their specific case. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council maintains national registers of appropriately qualified trainers and behaviourists.
It is important that dogs are trained to behave well and introduced gradually and positively to different environments, people and animals.
The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs includes guidance and reminders for owners about their responsibilities to provide for the welfare needs of their animal, but also to keep their dogs safe and under control. It also recommends reward-based training as the widely preferred form of training dogs.
Natural England have also published a refreshed version of the Countryside Code, which makes specific reference to keeping dogs in sight and under control to make sure they stay away from livestock, wildlife, horses and other people unless invited.
All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which provides a powerful framework for the conservation of wild birds, their eggs, nests and habitats.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
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 9 March 2020 to Question 24232 on Dogs: Electronic Training Aids, what the merits for animal welfare are of (a) not banning electronic collars used to stop dogs barking of (b) banning electronic collars used to stop dogs chasing livestock.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Following a consultation in 2018, and as set out in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the Government decided to ban electric shock collars controlled by hand-held devices in England, under new legislation which should be introduced this year, given their scope to harm cats and dogs.
We have listened carefully to a range of views from pet owners and respondents, as well as consulting key stakeholders including animal welfare charities, e-collar manufacturers, and trainers who use e-collars.
The proposed ban on the use of electric shock collars controlled by hand-held devices was developed after considering a broad range of factors, including the impact of a ban. When considered alongside the academic research, the public consultation responses, and direct engagement with the sector, the Government concluded that these types of electric shock collars present an unacceptable risk to the welfare of dogs and cats and that their use should not be permitted.
The research revealed that many e-collar users were not using them properly and in compliance with the manufacturers’ instructions. As well as being misused to inflict unnecessary harm, there is also concern that e-collars can redirect aggression or generate anxiety-based behaviour in pets, making underlying behavioural and health problems worse.
We appreciate that the right approach for pet owners to take in managing and controlling their dog’s behaviour differs from both person to person and from pet to pet. Defra would advise all owners who are concerned about controlling their dog’s behaviour, for whatever reason, to take advice from their vet or a suitably qualified dog behaviourist or trainer. Such specialists would be best positioned to advise on the best approach for their specific case. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council maintains national registers of appropriately qualified trainers and behaviourists.
The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs includes guidance and reminders for owners about their responsibilities to provide for the welfare needs of their animal, but also to keep their dogs safe and under control.
The Code of Practice applies to handling dogs in the vicinity of livestock and taking action to prevent dogs from escaping to reduce the occurrence of attacks or chasing. The best proven method of preventing a dog from attacking livestock is to keep the dog on a lead when exercising around other animals, as advised by farmers and other keepers of livestock.
Natural England has also published a refreshed version of the Countryside Code, which makes specific reference to keeping dogs in sight and under control to make sure they stay away from livestock, wildlife, horses and other people unless invited. Moreover, the Countryside Code helpfully sets out certain legal requirements, encouraging visitors to always check local signs as there are locations where you must keep your dog on a lead around livestock for all or part of the year.