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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Department is taking with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to tackle the smuggling of puppies between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Defra takes the illegal importation of pets seriously. We will continue to work closely with Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to tackle this abhorrent trade which causes suffering to animals and puts the health of pets and people in the UK at risk.

Now that the transition period has ended, we have the opportunity to manage our own rules applying to pet travel movements into Great Britain.

The Government is in the process of refining proposals for our manifesto commitment to tackling puppy smuggling and will be publishing further detail in due course.