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 improve sanitation and animal welfare practises in the sale of live-caught wild mammals to reduce the risk of future outbreaks of zoonoses.

The UK is proud to be at the leading edge of food, health and animal welfare standards. The UK’s policies relating to animal production, as part of our wider sanitary and phytosanitary regime, prioritise animal health and welfare, public health and the environment.

The sale of mammals taken from the wild in Great Britain is covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended) whereby a licence is needed for the sale of certain wildlife species.

There is a regulatory framework which covers the import of animals (including wild animals) to protect public and animal health and animal welfare. This includes rules on the disease status of the country of origin, the approval of the premises of origin and destination, the source of animals and the use of isolation or quarantine before and after arrival. Animal health certificates must accompany all mammals entering Great Britain and these certificates must be signed by an official veterinarian of the competent authority of the country of origin, guaranteeing that the conditions for entry have been met.

There is a regulatory framework which covers our food safety processes to mitigate risks to public health from food borne pathogens from livestock or hunted wild animals. Defra works closely with the UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency to ensure zoonotic disease risks are identified and managed appropriately.