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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on licensing for business selling pets on the sale of primates.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is already against the law to keep primates in the same sort of environment you would keep a domesticated pet animal. In addition, the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately Kept Non-human Primates provides keepers with advice on how to meet the welfare needs of their animals, as required under the 2006 Act.

My department is working closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to apply minimum standards to online pet advertising on five of the main websites. The standards include a requirement to remove any adverts for primates. We are also 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 2006 Act.

In the meantime, if anyone has any concerns about the welfare of a particular primate they should report it to the relevant local authority who have powers to investigate such matters, or to the RSPCA who can also investigate.