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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken at UK border ports to tackle the illegal smuggling of puppies and other animals into the UK.

Enforcement of the rules governing the importation of animals is the responsibility of Local Authorities. Effective enforcement relies on close co-operation between a number of different agencies and should be intelligence led. As regards the illegal smuggling of puppies, Local Authorities and other agencies carry out targeted interventions at the border. To help build on this, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency are considering what steps can be taken to improve enforcement and is being assisted by the Dogs Trust and RSCPA in this work.

Defra is also working closely with Border Force to agree a framework for co-operation to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation governing the import of animals, including puppies.