Thank you for contacting me about the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.
The UK has long led the way on animal welfare. In 2021, the Government published the Action Plan for Animal Welfare, setting out a series of future reforms for this Parliament and beyond. Since the plan was published, the Government has passed the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act, recognising the sentience of vertebrate animals and some invertebrate animals. In addition, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act introduced tougher sentences for animal cruelty, increasing maximum sentences. The Ivory Act came into force in 2022 and has recently been extended to cover five more endangered species. In April, the Government made cat microchipping compulsory, helping to reunite pets with their owners.
The Kept Animals Bill, introduced in June 2021, was designed to implement several of the Government’s ambitions for animal welfare. This included banning the live exports of animals, seeking to prevent pet theft, and new measures to tackle livestock worrying. The Bill’s multi-issue nature means that there has been considerable and unmanageable extension of its scope, and the Bill risks being extended far beyond the original commitments in the Conservative Manifesto that I was elected on and the Action Plan for Animal Welfare. Therefore, the Government will now be taking forward measures in the Kept Animals Bill individually during the remainder of the Parliament.
Live exports: I am assured that the Government remains fully committed to delivering its manifesto commitments on animal welfare. Having left the EU, the Government is able to and will ban live exports for fattening and slaughter. There have been no live exports from Great Britain since 2020, but legislation will ensure this becomes permanent, and Ministers remain committed to delivering it.
Regarding puppy smuggling, I know that the Government will ban the imports of young, heavily pregnant or mutilated dogs and this will be achieved quicker with a single-issue Bill than the secondary legislation required under the Kept Animals Bill. Further, the keeping of primates as pets will be banned and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will consult on primate-keeping standards.
I am assured by my ministerial colleagues in Defra that the Government is committed to maintaining its strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, both in the course of this Parliament and beyond.
Puppy Smuggling
I would like to assure you that the Government is committed to cracking down on puppy smuggling and will ban the imports of young, heavily pregnant or mutilated dogs. Applying strengthened penalties will help send a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and will enable our courts to take a firmer approach to cases where pets are illegally imported. The UK has one of the most rigorous pet travel border checking regimes in the world and I am aware that every dog travelling into Great Britain on approved routes has its microchip and paperwork checked to make sure they are all properly vaccinated and are old enough to travel.
Ministers have also taken action to tackle the practice of puppy farming. Following the introduction of Lucy’s Law in 2020, everyone must now buy directly from breeders or consider adopting from rescue centres, which is a major step in stopping the illegal pet trade. If an individual sells puppies or kittens without a licence, they could receive an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to six months.
Cats and Kittens
In August 2021, the Government carried out a consultation on proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. The consultation proposed to maintain the existing requirements for cats, as there is currently limited evidence of a significant illegal trade in cats or significant numbers of low welfare movements. I look forward to reading the Government’s response in due course.
I understand that the estimate of 70,000 cats detailed in the Cats Protection’s ‘Cats and Their Stats’ report appears to be based on an estimate of the number of cats obtained between March 2020 and March 2021 and the proportion of individuals that reported in a survey that they had sourced a pet from abroad during the same period. I am aware that official Government statistics show that between March 2020 and March 2021, 27,601 cats entered the UK under the non-commercial rules and 8,511 cats entered under commercial rules.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
June 2023