Campaign reply - I urge you to not forget animal welfare

Thank you for contacting my office. I very much appreciate you getting in touch about animal welfare.

 

I would like to assure you that the Government is committed to upholding our world-leading animal welfare standards and to delivering a series of ambitious reforms, as outlined in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare.

 

The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act, which completed its passage into law in April, enshrines in domestic law the recognition that animals are sentient and creates an expert Animal Sentience Committee to review policy decisions relating to animal welfare.

 

Introduced to Parliament in June 2021, the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill will introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds. The Government is reviewing consultation responses on further proposals to eliminate this illegal trade and aims to deliver the necessary secondary legislation alongside the passage of the Bill. In addition, the export of livestock and equines for slaughter and fattening from, or transiting through, Great Britain to anywhere outside the British Islands will be banned.

 

Further, the Kept Animals Bill will also ban keeping primates as pets and improve zoo regulations, as well as creating new police powers to protect livestock from dangerous dogs. Further, I am aware that a new offence of taking and detaining a dog was added to the Bill at Committee Stage in the House of Commons, with a power to extend to other pets, if necessary. This Bill was carried over into the new parliamentary session and will return to the House as soon as parliamentary time allows.

 

Finally, the Government is firmly committed to delivering one of the toughest bans in the world on the import of hunting trophies from nearly seven thousand endangered and threatened species. This will see the UK leading the way in protecting endangered animals and strengthening long-term conservation. The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill was recently introduced to Parliament. I know that Ministers are also looking to protect animals abroad, including those used in low welfare animal experiences.

 

Once again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.