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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions there have been under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2019.

Responsibility for enforcing the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 lies with English local authorities. Local authorities may keep records of individual enforcement activity, including cases that have led to prosecutions. However, the information requested regarding prosecutions is not held centrally by Defra.

Defra is finalising a post-implementation review (PIR) of the Regulations. The PIR considers the effectiveness of the regulations, including enforcement. The report into the review will be published shortly.