Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Repeal Breed Specific Legislation
Gov Responded - 13 Jan 2022 Debated on - 6 Jun 2022 View 's petition debate contributionsThe Government should repeal breed specific provisions in dangerous dogs legislation. We believe these provisions are a flawed approach to public safety and an ethical failing with regards to animal welfare.
Stop the rising number of ear-cropped dogs in the UK
Gov Responded - 9 Mar 2021 Debated on - 7 Jun 2021 View 's petition debate contributionsLeading veterinary and welfare bodies are concerned by the alarming rise in ear-cropped dogs in the UK. Ear cropping is illegal in the UK and an unnecessary, painful mutilation with no welfare benefit. The practice involves cutting off part of the ear flap, often without anaesthesia or pain relief.
Ban the exploitative import of young puppies for sale in the UK.
Gov Responded - 8 Sep 2020 Debated on - 7 Jun 2021 View 's petition debate contributionsPlenty of dogs from UK breeders & rescues need homes. Transporting young pups long distances is often stressful, before being sold for ridiculous prices to unsuspecting dog-lovers. Government must adjust current laws, ban this unethical activity on welfare grounds & protect these poor animals ASAP.
The UK should ban the importation of Shark Fins.
Gov Responded - 3 Nov 2020 Debated on - 7 Jun 2021 View 's petition debate contributionsNow that we have left the EU, the UK has the ability to finally stop the importation of Shark Fins. They had previously stated that 'Whilst in the EU, it is not possible to unilaterally ban the import of shark fins into the UK.'
These initiatives were driven by Neil Hudson, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Neil Hudson has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Neil Hudson has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Seals (Protection) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Tracey Crouch (CON)
The tech and digital sector has really stepped up to the challenges posed by the pandemic, which has seen tech adoption reportedly advancing 10 years in 2 months.
TO support them in this vital work, the Government Future Fund has distributed over £1bn in loans to over 1000 companies. Our local digital skills partnerships are helping to address tech companies workforce and skills needs.
The theft of a much-loved pet causes emotional trauma and impacts pet owners and families. The Government launched a Pet Theft Taskforce in May 2021 in response to concerns about a perceived increase in pet theft during COVID restrictions.
The Pet Theft Taskforce concluded that a new offence of pet abduction would best address concerns that the criminal law is only currently capable of treating the theft of a pet as a theft of property; and also, to recognise the potential impact on their welfare when they are taken by strangers.
The offence as currently drafted in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill focuses on dogs, with enabling powers. The inclusion of the enabling powers means that the Secretary of State will be able to extend the offence to other species of companion animal in the future by making regulations.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill completed its Commons Committee Stage in November. A carryover motion was passed by the House on 25 April 2022. The Bill will continue its passage as soon as parliamentary time allows.
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 prohibits anyone who is not a veterinary surgeon registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) from undertaking any surgical procedure. Concerns about a person’s legitimacy to practice should be reported to the RCVS as Regulator for the Act. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 requires owners or handlers of animals to protect them from harm and to provide for their welfare in line with good practice. A breach of these provisions may lead to imprisonment, a fine, or both.
The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs which provides owners and keepers with general welfare information, including a specific section on how to protect them from pain, suffering, injury and disease. That section of the Code of Practice recommends owners seek veterinary advice before breeding their dogs and that owners should take all reasonable steps to ensure that they are able to provide the care required during pregnancy.
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 prohibits anyone who is not a veterinary surgeon registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) from undertaking any surgical procedure. Concerns about a person’s legitimacy to practice should be reported to the RCVS as Regulator for the Act. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 requires owners or handlers of animals to protect them from harm and to provide for their welfare in line with good practice. A breach of these provisions may lead to imprisonment, a fine, or both.
The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs which provides owners and keepers with general welfare information, including a specific section on how to protect them from pain, suffering, injury and disease. That section of the Code of Practice recommends owners seek veterinary advice before breeding their dogs and that owners should take all reasonable steps to ensure that they are able to provide the care required during pregnancy.
From April this year the Government introduced a Plastic Packaging Tax on plastic packaging that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. This will provide a clear economic incentive for businesses to use recycled plastic in the manufacture of plastic packaging, which will create greater demand for this material and also give the private sector the certainty to invest in more recycling capacity, including in Cumbria.
The Government has also stimulated the development of industry through support for research and innovation notably through a package of over £100 million to tackle the issues that arise from plastic waste. £38 million was set aside through the Plastics Research and Innovation Fund and Resource Action Fund for research and development, including £10 million specifically to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter. The Government has also put £60 million of funding into the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, alongside a £150 million investment from industry.
The Government is committed to the strongest possible standards of protection against animal diseases. It is investing £1.4 billion (including £200 million in this Spending Review period) to secure the long-term future of the Weybridge facility. This substantial investment recognises the essential role of this laboratory, and will enable its excellent scientists to continue to protect the country, boosting our resilience and strengthening our understanding of health risks to, and from, animals and plants.
Towards the end of 2021, approximately 80% of UK carbon dioxide (CO2) was sourced from a single UK producer. The market has now diversified and reliance on a single producer has now diminished. Currently, only 42% of supply comes from this producer, with the rest of CO2 supply met by other producers ranging from biofuel plants, anaerobic digestion plants (AD) and European imports. In addition, the Government is supporting the further diversification of the market though work to ensure that CO2 from AD plants meets food and beverage or industrial grade standards.
All major slaughterhouses were surveyed earlier this year on their CO2 resilience. The majority of these slaughterhouses have mitigation strategies in place or do not use CO2. The Government continues to analyse the situation to ensure that UK food and drink businesses and abattoirs, are able to secure CO2.
We understand this will be distressing news for CF Industries' workers and their families. We are in regular contact with the company and stand ready to support those impacted.
The proposed closure of their Cheshire plant is a commercial decision for CF Industries, it will not impact supplies of CO2. The Billingham plant remains operational.
We source imports of fertiliser and carbon dioxide from a globalised market from a wide range of countries, and continue to produce it domestically at Billingham. The Government continues to analyse the situation to ensure that UK businesses are able to secure fertilisers and carbon dioxide.
We understand this will be distressing news for CF Industries' workers and their families. We are in regular contact with the company and stand ready to support those impacted.
The proposed closure of their Cheshire plant is a commercial decision for CF Industries, it will not impact supplies of CO2. The Billingham plant remains operational.
We source imports of fertiliser and carbon dioxide from a globalised market from a wide range of countries, and continue to produce it domestically at Billingham. The Government continues to analyse the situation to ensure that UK businesses are able to secure fertilisers and carbon dioxide.
Restoring water quality in Cumbria and across England is a Government priority. The Environment Agency (EA) is currently working with the water sector to tackle threats to the water environment in Cumbria and reduce nutrient inputs into Windermere. For example, the EA has been working closely with United Utilities on delivering wastewater and agriculture interventions on the River Petteril catchment.
We are going further and faster than any other government to protect our rivers in Cumbria and across England. We have recently launched our consultation on new legally binding targets for water, which will provide a strong mechanism for driving long-term environmental outcomes. We have doubled investment in the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme to £30 million to help reduce impacts from agriculture, and the EA is hiring 50 more inspectors to ensure action is taken against non-compliance.
We have also launched our consultation on the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, which proposes that water companies must completely eliminate all ecological harm to the environment from storm sewage discharges. The plan will revolutionise how water companies tackle sewage discharges and will represent the largest investment and delivery programme in tackling storm sewage discharges in history.
Restoring water quality in Cumbria and across England is a Government priority. The Environment Agency (EA) is currently working with the water sector to tackle threats to the water environment in Cumbria and reduce nutrient inputs into Windermere. For example, the EA has been working closely with United Utilities on delivering wastewater and agriculture interventions on the River Petteril catchment.
We are going further and faster than any other government to protect our rivers in Cumbria and across England. We have recently launched our consultation on new legally binding targets for water, which will provide a strong mechanism for driving long-term environmental outcomes. We have doubled investment in the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme to £30 million to help reduce impacts from agriculture, and the EA is hiring 50 more inspectors to ensure action is taken against non-compliance.
We have also launched our consultation on the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, which proposes that water companies must completely eliminate all ecological harm to the environment from storm sewage discharges. The plan will revolutionise how water companies tackle sewage discharges and will represent the largest investment and delivery programme in tackling storm sewage discharges in history.
We will be consulting on public sector food and catering policy following publication of the Food Strategy White Paper due to launch shortly. The consultation will seek views on ways to promote greater take-up of local, and sustainable produce and make public procurement more accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The consultation will be an exciting opportunity for producers and consumers of public sector food to have their say and make suggestions to help shape future policy. We look forward to receiving input to the consultation from the sector, and more information will be released in due course once the consultation date has been confirmed.
The forthcoming Government Food Strategy will set out the Government's ambition and priorities for the food system, considering the evidence set out in Henry Dimbleby's independent review and building on additional topics.
We are actively collaborating across Government to cover the entire food system and consider the unforeseen challenges that the agri-food sector has faced this last year since the independent review was published.
We expect to publish the Government Food Strategy shortly.
The Government launched a consultation on 21 August on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets (cats, dogs and ferrets) into Great Britain, including our proposal to ban the commercial and non-commercial movement of puppies under the age of six months into Great Britain. We will take into account the views of the public and will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that our final measures are well considered and are guided by the latest evidence.
Defra has no immediate plans to change the import health requirements in relation to rabies for pets entering Great Britain. Recent quantitative risk assessments have concluded that the risk of a pet animal with rabies entering the UK under the pet travel rules is very low. Defra continues to monitor the disease situation carefully and our future policy will be guided by risk assessment.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June with second reading on 25 October. The Bill allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
In August 2021, the Government launched an eight-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. This included proposals to ban the commercial and non-commercial movement into Great Britain of puppies under the age of six months, heavily pregnant dogs and dogs which have been subjected to low welfare practices such as ear cropping or tail docking. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary response in due course. This will allow us to take onboard the views of the public and interested groups on puppy smuggling and low welfare imports in order to shape our future policy.
Defra has no immediate plans to change the animal health requirements for pets entering Great Britain. Defra continues to monitor the disease situation carefully and our future policy will be guided by risk assessment.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June with second reading on 25 October. The Bill allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
In August 2021, the Government launched an eight-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. This included a proposal to raise the minimum age dogs can be non-commercially or commercially imported into Great Britain from 15 weeks to six months. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary response in due course. We will take into account the views of the public and will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that our final measures are well considered and are guided by the latest evidence.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the licence requirements for animal related activities such as pet selling or dog breeding. They therefore hold details of the enforcement activity being undertaken in their area, including information relating to low-welfare and illegal breeding activity. This Government takes the issue of low-welfare and illegal supply of puppies very seriously. Significant steps have already been taken to improve and update the laws on dog breeding in England to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed dogs purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare.
Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including provisions to protect dogs from being bred from too often or at an early age, which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Any licensee advertising dogs for sale will need to include their licence number in the advert and specify the local authority who issued the licence. Additional requirements placed on advertisements include that the age of the dog for sale must be displayed along with a recognisable photograph.
We banned the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in England from 6 April 2020. This ban aims to disrupt the low-welfare trade that supports puppy farming by preventing pet shops, pet dealers and other commercial outlets from selling these animals in England unless they themselves have bred them. It means anyone looking to get a puppy must buy direct from a breeder or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead.
Meanwhile my department maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes providing clear signposting to where responsible breeders and rehoming centres can be found and encouraging prospective buyers to research the seller thoroughly before they visit and decide to purchase. The campaign provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. More information can be found here: https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk (opens in a new tab).
We have also endorsed The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), which was created to combat growing concerns about the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange, and backed a set of minimum standards that PAAG developed, which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June. The Bill allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
The Government launched a consultation on 21 August on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain, including our proposal to ban the commercial and non-commercial movement of puppies under the age of six months into Great Britain. We will take into account the views of the public and will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that our final measures are well considered and are guided by the latest evidence.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the licence requirements for animal related activities such as pet selling or dog breeding. They therefore hold details of the enforcement activity being undertaken in their area, including information relating to low-welfare and illegal breeding activity. This Government takes the issue of low-welfare and illegal supply of puppies very seriously. Significant steps have already been taken to improve and update the laws on dog breeding in England to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed dogs purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare.
Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including provisions to protect dogs from being bred from too often or at an early age, which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Any licensee advertising dogs for sale will need to include their licence number in the advert and specify the local authority who issued the licence. Additional requirements placed on advertisements include that the age of the dog for sale must be displayed along with a recognisable photograph.
We banned the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in England from 6 April 2020. This ban aims to disrupt the low-welfare trade that supports puppy farming by preventing pet shops, pet dealers and other commercial outlets from selling these animals in England unless they themselves have bred them. It means anyone looking to get a puppy must buy direct from a breeder or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead.
Meanwhile my department maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes providing clear signposting to where responsible breeders and rehoming centres can be found and encouraging prospective buyers to research the seller thoroughly before they visit and decide to purchase. The campaign provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. More information can be found here: https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk (opens in a new tab).
We have also endorsed The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), which was created to combat growing concerns about the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange, and backed a set of minimum standards that PAAG developed, which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June. The Bill allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
The Government launched a consultation on 21 August on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain, including our proposal to ban the commercial and non-commercial movement of puppies under the age of six months into Great Britain. We will take into account the views of the public and will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that our final measures are well considered and are guided by the latest evidence.
The Government launched a consultation on 21 August on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets (cats, dogs and ferrets) into Great Britain, including our proposal to ban the commercial and non-commercial movement of puppies under the age of six months into Great Britain. We will take into account the views of the public and will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that our final measures are well considered and are guided by the latest evidence.
Defra has no immediate plans to change the import health requirements in relation to rabies for pets entering Great Britain. Recent quantitative risk assessments have concluded that the risk of a pet animal with rabies entering the UK under the pet travel rules is very low. Defra continues to monitor the disease situation carefully and our future policy will be guided by risk assessment.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June. The Bill allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
The Government launched a consultation on 21 August on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain, including our proposal to ban the commercial and non-commercial movement of puppies under the age of six months into Great Britain. We will take into account the views of the public and will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that our final measures are well considered and are guided by the latest evidence.
Defra has no immediate plans to change the import health requirements in relation to rabies for pets entering Great Britain. Recent quantitative risk assessments have concluded that the risk of a pet animal with rabies entering the UK under the pet travel rules is very low. Defra continues to monitor the disease situation carefully and our future policy will be guided by risk assessment.
Defra has no immediate plans to amend the tapeworm requirements for dogs, cats and ferrets entering Great Britain. However, we remain aware of the concerns around tapeworm and our future policy will be guided by risk assessment.
There are no plans to introduce tapeworm treatment to imports of other small animals.
Tick surveillance has shown that tick distribution and abundance is changing throughout the UK for many reasons, including habitat and climate change. Small numbers of localised infestations with non-native tick species have been reported in recent years. For these reasons, Defra strongly encourages pet owners to treat their pets to safeguard their animals against ticks and tick-transmitted diseases when travelling abroad.
Defra has no immediate plans to amend the tick controls for dogs, cats or ferrets entering into Great Britain. However, we remain aware of the concerns around ticks and tick-borne disease, and future policy will be guided by risk assessment.
There are no plans to introduce tick treatment to imports of other small animals.
Prior to 2021 TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System) was used to record imports of animal/animal product movements into the UK. TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal movements into and throughout the EU.
Following the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU, all imports are notified via IPAFFs with the relevant information required. The data collected previously under TRACES and now IPAFFS covers all commercially imported cats and dogs, including commercial kittens, rescue cats and kittens, research cats and unaccompanied pets. The number of animals imported into the Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) is recorded on these systems but not the age of animals. Therefore, unfortunately we are unable to provide this level of data.
We operate one of the most rigorous and robust pet travel checking regimes in Europe. All non-commercial dogs, cats and ferrets entering Great Britain on approved routes (every route other than ROI and NI) under the Pet Travel rules undergo 100% documentary and identity checks by authorised pet checkers.
There are numerous approved routes into the UK by which pets can travel. These diverse routes are managed by independent pet checkers and by a variety of carriers including ferries, air travel and trains. Pet checkers and carriers independently record the number of how many cats, dogs, ferrets and assistance dogs have travelled and are required to record additional details of the animal where non-compliance is discovered. They may also independently record identifying details for their own records.
The data regarding the Pet Travel Rules is based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. Raw data on the number of animals travelled via each authorised pet checker or carrier is provided to the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Border Force to enable effective enforcement action. This new system, with carrier captured data, records the number of pet animals entering the country more accurately than the previous legacy database (Pets database) which was initially deployed in 2006, but it is not a requirement to record the age of the animals travelling on those routes. Therefore, we cannot provide this data.
The number of equines exported from the UK to France and the Republic of Ireland from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | UK to France | France to UK |
Jan 2020 | 106 | 148 |
Feb 2020 | 120 | 102 |
Mar 2020 | 114 | 112 |
April 2020 | 115 | 61 |
May 2020 | 76 | 201 |
June 2020 | 418 | 73 |
July 2020 | 337 | 84 |
Aug 2020 | 198 | 70 |
Sept 2020 | 195 | 78 |
Oct 2020 | 274 | 145 |
Nov 2020 | 78 | 112 |
Dec 2020 | 241 | 187 |
Jan 2021 | N/A | N/A |
Feb 2021 | N/A | N/A |
When the TPA was renegotiated between the UK, the Republic of Ireland and France it was decided that there would be no requirement for certification and/or electronic moves to be recorded between the UK and the Republic of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the UK. Therefore, there are no records held on the number of TPA equidae moves between the UK and the Republic of Ireland on any APHA database or TRACES.
There are no figures for 2021 as the Tripartite Agreement ended when the UK exited the EU on 31 December 2020.
This data was extracted from the TRACES. TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the APHA from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has completed a report in the Trade Control and Expert System and the Post Import Management System, and has not identified any matching consignments of these imports for 2020 or 2021.
When the TPA was renegotiated between the UK, the Republic of Ireland and France it was decided that there would be no requirement for certification and/or electronic moves to be recorded between the UK and the Republic of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and the UK. Therefore, there are no records held on the number of TPA equidae moves between the UK and the Republic of Ireland on any APHA database or TRACES.
This was also the case for all other moves of unregistered Equidae between to UK and Republic of Ireland. As part of the TPA renegotiations, it was determined that no paperwork was required for these moves either. Therefore APHA does not hold any records on these movements.
From 1 January 2021, these agreements ceased and export health certification is required for all Equidae moves between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
APHA have competed a report in the Trade Control and Expert System and the Post Import Management System, and have not identified any matching consignments of these imports for 2020 or 2021.
As dogs from Northern Ireland moving to Great Britain do not require any notification or health certification, we are not able to provide any data regarding this.
The number of dogs imported from the EU to the UK from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Dogs |
Jan 2020 | 3810 |
Feb 2020 | 3391 |
Mar 2020 | 1987 |
April 2020 | 934 |
May 2020 | 4,90 |
June 2020 | 5202 |
July 2020 | 6309 |
Aug 2020 | 5273 |
Sept 2020 | 6826 |
Oct 2020 | 7031 |
Nov 2020 | 6944 |
Dec 2020 | 8293 |
Jan 2021 | 1225 |
Feb 2021 | 5923 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency has completed a report in the Trade Control and Expert System and has not identified any matching consignments of these imports for 2020.
The following information is for 2021:
Month | Total Number of Equines |
Jan 2021 | 91 |
Feb 2021 | 235 |
There are no records of movements for 2020. The UK, Republic of Ireland and France all formed the Tripartite Agreement and there was no requirement for certification or electronic moves to be recorded. From 1 January 2021,this agreement ceased and export health certification is required for all Equidae moves between the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The number of live animals imported from the Republic of Ireland to the UK from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Live Animals |
Jan 2020 | 1,250,272 |
Feb 2020 | 406,040 |
Mar 2020 | 7,757,702 |
April 2020 | 9,117,860 |
May 2020 | 7,263,557 |
June 2020 | 2,868,940 |
July 2020 | 1,108,790 |
Aug 2020 | 1,341,426 |
Sept 2020 | 620,357 |
Oct 2020 | 207,214 |
Nov 2020 | 793,702 |
Dec 2020 | 725,924 |
Jan 2021 | 2,107,612 |
Feb 2021 | 2,649,697 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The number of equines exported from the UK to France from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Equines travelled on an ITAHC or EHC | Equines travelled on a DOCOM | Total |
Jan 2020 | 71 | 106 | 177 |
Feb 2020 | 48 | 120 | 168 |
Mar 2020 | 58 | 114 | 172 |
April 2020 | 26 | 115 | 141 |
May 2020 | 18 | 76 | 94 |
June 2020 | 30 | 418 | 448 |
July 2020 | 29 | 337 | 366 |
Aug 2020 | 91 | 198 | 289 |
Sept 2020 | 36 | 195 | 231 |
Oct 2020 | 96 | 274 | 370 |
Nov 2020 | 61 | 78 | 139 |
Dec 2020 | 82 | 241 | 323 |
Jan 2021 | 8 | N/A | 8 |
Feb 2021 | 79 | N/A | 89 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The number of equines exported from the UK to the Republic of Ireland from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Equines |
Jan 2021 | 88 |
Feb 2021 | 471 |
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has completed a report in Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) and has not identified any matching consignments of these imports for 2020.
There are no records of movements for 2020. The UK, Republic of Ireland and France all formed the Tripartite Agreement and there was no requirement for certification and/or electronic moves to be recorded. From 1 January 2021, this agreement ceased and export health certification is required for all Equidae moves between the UK and Republic of Ireland.
This data was extracted from the TRACES. TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by APHA from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The number of live animals imported from the EU to the UK from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Live Animals |
Jan 2020 | 1,480,131 |
Feb 2020 | 870,907 |
Mar 2020 | 1,357,395 |
April 2020 | 1,297,715 |
May 2020 | 1,540,619 |
June 2020 | 1,586,510 |
July 2020 | 1,046,970 |
Aug 2020 | 823,823 |
Sept 2020 | 1,145,903 |
Oct 2020 | 1,263,498 |
Nov 2020 | 939,216 |
Dec 2020 | 823,948 |
Jan 2021 | 12,169,207 |
Feb 2021 | 110,935,911 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The number of live animals exported from the UK to the EU from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Live Animals |
Jan 2020 | 2,588,293 |
Feb 2020 | 1,911,125 |
Mar 2020 | 2,073293 |
April 2020 | 2,862,619 |
May 2020 | 2,239,639 |
June 2020 | 3,009,449 |
July 2020 | 2,158,253 |
Aug 2020 | 2,347,465 |
Sept 2020 | 1,990,329 |
Oct 2020 | 2,066,370 |
Nov 2020 | 1,356,446 |
Dec 2020 | 1,031,599 |
Jan 2021 | N/A |
Feb 2021 | N/A |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
There are no records of individual animal numbers travelling from the UK to the EU for 2021.
EHC Online does have a section for APHA to note the total number of animals exported, but as we have changed the requirement for certified copies to be returned, this information can only be captured for livestock and camelids.
Export Health Certification issued using the new EHC Online service contains a module for Certifying Officers (CO) to record when they have approved, rejected or cancelled a certificate. As a result, APHA no longer routinely require COs to return certified copies of EHC to APHA. APHA can no longer provide data on the exact number of live animals being exported from Great Britain to the EU.
The EHC Online service was enhanced in February 2021 to include an area for APHA to record the total number of animals exported on an EHC, but this data field will only be completed by APHA for exports of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and camelids where there remains a requirement for the return of a certified copy of the EHC. The return of certified copies of these EHCs remains due to legislative requirements for the UK to trace and report the export of animals form a holding where a disease outbreak has occurred post-export.
The number of equines imported from the EU to the UK from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Equines |
Jan 2020 | 284 |
Feb 2020 | 283 |
Mar 2020 | 310 |
April 2020 | 72 |
May 2020 | 182 |
June 2020 | 361 |
July 2020 | 278 |
Aug 2020 | 379 |
Sept 2020 | 363 |
Oct 2020 | 433 |
Nov 2020 | 464 |
Dec 2020 | 379 |
Jan 2021 | 258 |
Feb 2021 | 801 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The number of equines imported from France to the UK from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Equines travelled on an ITAHC or EHC | Equines travelled on a DOCOM | Total |
Jan 2020 | 18 | 148 | 166 |
Feb 2020 | 15 | 102 | 117 |
Mar 2020 | 17 | 112 | 129 |
April 2020 | 4 | 61 | 65 |
May 2020 | 18 | 201 | 219 |
June 2020 | 22 | 73 | 95 |
July 2020 | 23 | 84 | 107 |
Aug 2020 | 27 | 70 | 97 |
Sept 2020 | 28 | 78 | 106 |
Oct 2020 | 37 | 145 | 182 |
Nov 2020 | 23 | 112 | 135 |
Dec 2020 | 27 | 187 | 214 |
Jan 2021 | 61 | N/A | 61 |
Feb 2021 | 244 | N/A | 244 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The number of dogs imported from the Republic of Ireland to the UK from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Dogs |
Jan 2020 | 694 |
Feb 2020 | 658 |
Mar 2020 | 467 |
April 2020 | 99 |
May 2020 | 309 |
June 2020 | 480 |
July 2020 | 461 |
Aug 2020 | 449 |
Sept 2020 | 640 |
Oct 2020 | 572 |
Nov 2020 | 508 |
Dec 2020 | 477 |
Jan 2021 | 97 |
Feb 2021 | 532 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The number of equines exported from the UK to the EU from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Equines |
Jan 2020 | 495 |
Feb 2020 | 422 |
Mar 2020 | 389 |
April 2020 | 295 |
May 2020 | 364 |
June 2020 | 542 |
July 2020 | 309 |
Aug 2020 | 506 |
Sept 2020 | 333 |
Oct 2020 | 395 |
Nov 2020 | 242 |
Dec 2020 | 320 |
Jan 2021 | 344 |
Feb 2021 | 991 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The number of live animals imported from Northern Ireland to Great Britain from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Live Animals |
Jan 2020 | 7554 |
Feb 2020 | 9147 |
Mar 2020 | 13644 |
April 2020 | 7397 |
May 2020 | 6918 |
June 2020 | 8225 |
July 2020 | 7230 |
Aug 2020 | 6687 |
Sept 2020 | 8219 |
Oct 2020 | 3630 |
Nov 2020 | 3696 |
Dec 2020 | 4534 |
Jan 2021 | 16 |
Feb 2021 | 32 |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
The data is correct according to APHA records. However, APHA is now receiving an increased number of Importer Notifications that do not specify country of origin of the consignment. This may account in the reduction of figures for January and February.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Newton Abbot on 11 March 2021, PQ UIN 162616.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 11th June 2021 to Question UIN: 7771.
Prime Ministers Johnson and Morrison secured an historic free trade agreement on 15 June at Number 10 Downing Street. The Government expects to publish an agreement document outlining what has been agreed for Agreement in Principle (AiP) in the coming days.
This agreement with Australia secures positive steps on animal welfare. The Government has secured a non-regression clause with Australia to ensure that neither country lowers current or future animal welfare protections. The Government has also secured commitments to cooperate together on animal welfare internationally.
The UK produces high quality, premium produce that is globally sought after, and maintaining high domestic standards is a red line in all the UK’s trade negotiations, as the Government works to bring new export opportunities to British farmers.
Prime Ministers Johnson and Morrison secured an historic free trade agreement on 15 June at Number 10 Downing Street. The Government expects to publish an agreement document outlining what has been agreed for Agreement in Principle (AiP) in the coming days.
This agreement with Australia secures positive steps on animal welfare. The Government has secured a non-regression clause with Australia to ensure that neither country lowers current or future animal welfare protections. The Government has also secured commitments to cooperate together on animal welfare internationally.
The UK produces high quality, premium produce that is globally sought after, and maintaining high domestic standards is a red line in all the UK’s trade negotiations, as the Government works to bring new export opportunities to British farmers.
On 7 June, the Department launched a call for expressions of interest for expert advisors to join the new Trade and Agriculture Commission. The Commission will be established in time to scrutinise the planned Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Australia, to inform parliamentary scrutiny following signature. It will also scrutinise other planned FTAs.
All agri-food products imported into the UK under existing or future free trade agreements will, as now, have to meet the UK’s food safety and other Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standard requirements for imports. These include clear controls on limits of veterinary medicine residues in meat and other animal products. That will not change under any trade deal.
The UK is a world leader in the battle against antimicrobial resistance – significantly cutting use of antibiotics in farming, with sales of antibiotics for livestock reduced by 40% over the five years to the end of 2018. The UK will ensure that Antimicrobial Resistance remains a global priority by continuing to lead international policy dialogue at the highest political levels through the G7, G20 and other international and regional fora, and as a major supporter of the United Nations and wider multilateral system.
The Department continues to closely follow the development of the A66 Trans-Pennine project and is leading on the cross-Government stakeholder engagement. In parallel, National Highways regularly liaises with the local communities and stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Defence and Natural England (sponsored by DEFRA) on the project’s progress.
National Highways’ aim is to design the best scheme possible, taking into account all feedback and policy. Following feedback from the 2021 public consultation and from the recent targeted consultations with the local communities, National Highways has revisited a number of options, including moving sections of the Warcop road further north. This has resulted in the identification of the opportunity to dual the western section of the scheme directly to the north of the existing A66 rather than to the south as previously proposed (i.e. using the existing A66 largely as the westbound rather than the eastbound carriageway). There are a number of benefits to this and other changes. Further information can be found in the project’s March update brochure which is available on the scheme’s website.
The Government has funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England, which represented a 25% increase over three years. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and has delivered five new medical schools in England. In addition, the Government temporarily lifted the cap on medical school places for students who completed A-Levels in 2020 and in 2021 and who had an offer from a university in England to study medicine, subject to their grades.
The Government currently has no plans to increase the number of places beyond this.
We are committed to delivering 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament. This expanded nursing workforce will be available to support all National Health Service trusts in England, including Cumbria, through improving the domestic training, international recruitment and focusing on retention of existing staff. The Learning Support Fund provides non-repayable grants for student nurses studying in England, with all eligible students receiving at least £5,000 per year. We have also introduced an apprenticeship pathway from healthcare assistant to registered nurse.
In addition, the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is expanding its nursing workforce, including working with the University of Cumbria to develop domestic recruitment and introducing support for overseas nurses.
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is undertaking a recruitment campaign which has attracted five new midwife appointments, with a plan to recruit twelve midwives through international recruitment. In 2023, there will be twice as many places available for student midwifery training to maximise the number of midwives qualifying in Cumbria.
A new apprentice midwifery course at the University of Cumbria has been validated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This will allow staff within the organisation to achieve a midwifery registration within Cumbria. From April 2022, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has appointed a resource dedicated to supporting internationally recruited midwives and student and midwifery retention.
Cumbria stretches across both NHS England and NHS Improvement North East and Yorkshire, and NHS England and NHS Improvement North West.
Urgent cancer diagnostic and surgical cases were prioritised in north Cumbria during the COVID pressures, with clinics and operations being protected so urgent cases can be clinically prioritised. NHS England and NHS Improvement North East and Yorkshire have worked closely with partners within the Northern Cancer Alliance and created a Surgical Coordination Cell to ensure cancer surgeries were expedited across the region.
Additionally, a new Modular Endoscopy Unit opened at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle in November 2021 to expand capacity and ensure more timely appointment for patients. The £1.2 million modular unit will aim to see 500 patients a month over a six-month period and has sustained this trajectory to date since its launch.
The Cumberland team will also recruit four new cancer nursing specialists and is developing new pathways and developments, such as the launch of a Serious Non-Specific Symptoms Rapid Diagnostic Centre (RDCs) Pathway.
NHS England and NHS Improvement North West have worked with its clinical commissioning group to introduce RDCs in colorectal, upper gastrointestinal tract (UGI), hepatobiliary and cancers of unknown primary, with a prostate RDC also in development.
The Department is working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and the profession to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice.
To boost recruitment, we have increased the number of general practitioner (GP) training places and in 2021/22, we saw a record 4,000 trainees, up from 2,671 in 2014.
The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment scheme (TERs) is a national incentive scheme that funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract GP trainees to work in areas of the country, including in Cumbria. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement regional teams continue to deliver a number of projects at local levels through the GP Retention Fund.
The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new retention schemes alongside continued support for existing schemes for the general practice workforce. These include The GP Retention Scheme, The International Induction Programme, The Return to Practice Programme, the Fellowship Programme, the New to Partnership Payment and Supporting Mentors Scheme.
North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group has advised that, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been improvements in waiting times and quality of services, especially in community children and young people’s services with a focus on stabilising services.
Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System is investing an additional £10.7 million to improve children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. This will deliver a transformation programme in the next three years based upon the THRIVE model of care, including reducing waiting times, improving experience and quality of care, recruiting more primary mental health workers and ensuring young people receive consistent levels of care in the region. There will also be a focus on developing crisis care, reducing the need for young people to be admitted to hospital.
In addition to existing mental health support teams in Carlisle, Allerdale and Barrow-in-Furness, further support teams will be established across Cumbria over the next three years. The children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health transformation programme for Cumbria will continue to be delivered by the children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health partnership board.
North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is improving crisis services for adults with mental health needs through street triage services in Carlisle and West Cumbria. The CCG is also investing in mental health services for people with serious mental illness, including ensuring that physical health checks are completed and services users are given the appropriate community support. The local voluntary community and social enterprise sector is working with service users from disadvantaged backgrounds or areas of high deprivation via a grant funding programme to improve engagement with mental health services and develop a community support plan where required.
In South Cumbria, the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System is improving access to mental health assessment for people in crisis and aims to reduce adult inappropriate out of area placements to zero over the next year. There has been an increase in community-based mental health hubs and access to talking therapies, to support mental health and wellbeing and provide low to medium level interventions. The number of community mental health workers has increased, with additional peer support workers in teams and increased home treatment capacity.
Poverty reduction is at the core of the mission of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It is fundamental to all seven of our strategic priorities for development and ODA spending.
By bringing our development and diplomatic expertise together in the new FCDO, and coordinating all UK activity in country better, we are using the full resources of Her Majesty’s Government to tackle poverty and reduce inequality.
Our manifesto committed us to use police resources to tackle rural crime. As well as recruiting 20,000 additional police officers, we are also taking steps to address issues that we know affect rural communities. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing. The Government is also providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit. As at 31 March 2022, Cumbria Police has recruited 117 additional uplift officers against a combined year 1 and 2 allocation of 101 officers. The force has been allocated 68 additional uplift officers in the final year of Uplift. The deployment of these officers is an operational decision for Chief Constables.
Ministry of Defence officials have welcomed the opportunity to work with National Highways on their statutory consultation on the A66 Trans-Pennine Project to ensure proposed routes meet the needs of Defence now and in the future.
The Department collects data on second homes classified for the purposes of council tax at the local authority district level on an annual basis, which can then be aggregated to cover the area of Cumbria.
The time series can be compiled from the published local authority level datasets which can be found at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-taxbase-statistics
for each year. Line 11 relates to second homes and the local authority level can be found in the ‘Data’ tab. The latest data is taken from a snapshot in October 2021.
The Department collects data on second homes classified for the purposes of council tax at the local authority district level on an annual basis, which can then be aggregated to cover the area of Cumbria.
The time series can be compiled from the published local authority level datasets which can be found at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-taxbase-statistics
for each year. Line 11 relates to second homes and the local authority level can be found in the ‘Data’ tab. The latest data is taken from a snapshot in October 2021.