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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent online retailors selling pets in breach of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, license holders must meet strict license conditions which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences. It is an offence to breach a license condition or carry on a licensable activity without a license and Local authorities are afforded powers to prosecute such cases under the 2018 Regulations. To assist local authorities in their application of the licensing regime, the Government maintains statutory guidance which they must have regard to. This aims to improve consistency in interpretation and application of the licensing regime across England.