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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of animals that have been used in a circus in the last year for which records are available, by type of animal.

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 require that anyone in the business of keeping or training animals for exhibition needs a valid licence from their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences.

Since 20 January 2020, it has been illegal in England for any travelling circus to use wild animals as part of a circus. Circuses that exhibit domestic animals are required to have a licence under the 2018 regulations. Defra does not collect data on the number of animals licenced under the 2018 regulations for exhibition in circuses in England. Individual local authorities should each hold this information.