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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to prohibit the sale and keeping of primates as pets; and whether the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately-Kept Non-Human Primates will be included in his Department's review of statutory animal welfare codes.

Monkeys and other primates are wild animals with specific, complex needs and it is against the law to keep them in the same sort of environment you would keep a domesticated pet animal. Defra is working closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to apply minimum standards to online pet advertising. The standards include a requirement on the five participating websites, Gumtree, Pre Loved, Pets4Homes, Viva St and Friday Ads to remove any adverts for primates. In addition Defra is updating the licensing regime for certain activities involving animals including pet shops and other pet sellers.

Under the new plans, businesses selling pets, including those selling online, will be required to give buyers written information about the animals they buy, with details of how to meet the five welfare needs of their pets under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This advice is particularly important when buying exotic pets, which have very specific welfare needs. Defra keeps all the welfare codes under review, and amongst the companion animal codes, the ones for cats, dogs and horses were considered most in need of updating. A review of the primate code will be undertaken in due course.