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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2023 to Question 193127 on Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023, whether her Department has discussed the potential merits of positive-only training of dogs with the British Veterinary Association; and if she will make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the use of (a) e-collars and (b) positive-only training of dogs on the prevalence of dog attacks on sheep.

The British Veterinary Association submitted a response to my Department’s 2018 consultation on ‘Electronic training collars for cats and dogs in England’ The response supported the use of reward-based training methods. Defra carefully considered this response alongside the other responses received.

We maintain that keeping dogs on leads around livestock and securing dog enclosures offer effective means of preventing dog attacks on livestock, keeping both livestock and dogs safe without the need to use e-collars.