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Written Question
Pet Travel Scheme: Cats
Friday 20th December 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cats travelled to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme in each month of (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Month

2023

2024

Jan

2,750

3,207

Feb

1,777

1,860

Mar

2,024

2,357

Apr

2,219

2,700

May

2,762

2,029

Jun

5,638

3,015

Jul

2,618

2,692

Aug

3,974

3,828

Sep

7,634

2,094

Oct

759

3,154

Nov

2,314

Dec

3,814

Total

38,283

26,936

The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. Please be aware that this is subject to change as we often receive throughput returns from carriers months later.


Written Question
Pet Travel Scheme: Dogs
Friday 20th December 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs travelled to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme by (a) sea, (b) tunnel and (c) air in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Means of Transport

November - December 2023

January – October 2024

Air

2131

13662

Sea

12097

105568

Tunnel

39262

160014

Total

53490

279244

The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information received to date, provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. Please be aware that this is subject to change as additional throughput returns from carriers may be received.


Written Question
Cats: Imports
Friday 20th December 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cats were imported under the Balai Directive in each month of (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Balai Cat Imports EU:

Month

2023

2024

Jan

216

253

Feb

310

267

Mar

270

256

Apr

179

224

May

164

165

Jun

170

196

Jul

194

166

Aug

197

222

Sep

253

287

Oct

282

290

Nov

261

Dec

287

Total

2,783

2,326

Balai Cat Imports ROW:

Month

2023

2024

Jan

306

254

Feb

304

292

Mar

372

251

Apr

331

279

May

321

346

Jun

377

314

Jul

278

332

Aug

289

307

Sep

338

292

Oct

190

293

Nov

316

Dec

259

Total

3,681

2,960

The EU data may include animals that have originated from a non-EU country but have travelled through an EU Border Control Post (BCP). The database records the EU BCP Country as the Country of Origin for these imports. The Rest of the World data will not include any animals that have arrived through an EU BCP.

This information is drawn from external IPAFF systems not directly controlled by the department.


Written Question
Pet Travel Scheme: Dogs
Friday 20th December 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs travelled to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme in each month of 2023.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Month

Total

January

18,840

February

14,838

March

15,790

April

24,722

May

20,738

June

21,633

July

31,068

August

51,913

September

29,096

October

6,581

November

16,779

December

36,711

Total

288,709

The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. Please be aware that this is subject to change as we often receive throughput returns from carriers months later.


Written Question
Pet Travel Scheme: Cats
Friday 20th December 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cats travelled to the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme via (a) sea, (b) tunnel and (c) air in 2023 and 2024.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Means of Transport

January - December 2023

January - October 2024

Air

8,786

7,712

Sea

16,237

8,137

Tunnel

13,260

11,087

Grand Total

38,283

26,936

The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. Please be aware that this is subject to change as we often receive throughput returns from carriers months later.


Written Question
Disposable Wipes: Plastics
Tuesday 17th December 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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 introduce legislative proposals to ban wet wipes containing plastic.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is working together with the devolved Governments to understand the issue, with a view to legislate to ban wet wipes containing plastic across the UK.


Written Question
Fisheries
Friday 22nd November 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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 ensure that all policies which potentially impact on fisheries are assessed by his Department in a holistic manner, considering their potential interactions with related policies, before implementation.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Development of all policies within Defra, including on fisheries, is undertaken holistically. We work across the public sector, private sector and society to make policy that works for citizens, and to help the Government achieve its missions and priorities. This includes collaborating closely across policy areas in Defra (such as fisheries management plans, offshore wind and the Marine Protected Areas programme), as well as with different Government departments and levels of Government, to fully explore linkages with other areas of policy delivery by Defra and beyond.


Written Question
Badgers: Disease Control
Friday 20th September 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many badgers have been killed under the current cull regime in Devon.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The numbers of badgers removed during culling operations are published annually on GOV.UK. The number of badgers removed cannot be broken down by county as licensed cull areas often overlap multiple counties. However, for licences granted which are predominantly in Devon, approximately 41,000 badgers have been removed since 2013 under these licences.


Written Question
Fisheries
Thursday 12th September 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect fishing grounds in the context of the increase in (a) offshore wind energy developments and (b) protected areas.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Food security is national security.

That is why the new Government will always back our great British fishing industry. We are engaging with industry and across Government on the spatial prioritisation programme to champion to protect the fishing sector.

We will go further by tearing down unnecessary trade barriers that block our fishing exports and push for more fish to be caught in British waters.


Written Question
Fisheries
Wednesday 11th September 2024

Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)

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 take steps to develop a national fishing strategy.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I have recently heard the representations of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations and others on the benefits of a national fishing strategy. This is something to discuss further with the industry and with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations given fisheries issues are largely devolved.