Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department made of animal welfare within the operation of large-scale dog farming factories in the UK; and what steps his Department is taking to stop the testing of animals for scientific research.

The breeding and selling of dogs (other than for scientific purposes) is regulated in England under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 and the 2006 Animal Welfare Act. Since 2019 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. Local authorities provide management and enforcement of this licensing regime and of the Animal Welfare Act. Any breeder failing to meet these standards may have additional licensing restrictions applied, have their licence revoked, or in extreme cases be prosecuted and potentially subject to the increased five -year custodial penalty the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act brought into force on the 29 June 2021.

The breeding of dogs to be used for scientific purposes is separately regulated under The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Government has published a code of practice for the care and accommodation of animals (including dogs) used for scientific purposes. The appropriate regulators operationalise and enforce ASPA through licensing and compliance assurance activities. A range of remedies are used if licence holders are found to be non-compliant, including suspension or revocation of licences.

This government believes, in line with the current scientific position, that there is a need to continue to use animals in some areas of research where there are no non- animal alternatives, to advance scientific discovery and protect human and animal health and the environment. There is a robust regulatory regime to protect these animals and we continue to invest in the development and uptake of non-animal alternatives. Therefore, this government have no current plans to hold a review into the use of animals in science