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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release on backstreet puppy breeders, published on 2 February 2018, whether dog breeders meeting the standards of the UKAS certified Assured Breeder Scheme will be automatically classified as low risk.

Under the new animal activities licensing scheme, if a licensed dog breeder is certified by a body that is accredited by UKAS they will be automatically classified as low risk, unless the local authority finds significant evidence of poor animal welfare or non-compliance. This will allow local authorities to focus their resources on identifying and targeting illegal back street breeding.