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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the transport of pets by companies that do not have the required authorisation.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) take the following action where unauthorised pet transporters are identified during inspections:

• Where the transporter originates from an EU Member State, a notification under Article 26 of EU Regulation 1/2005 is sent to that Member State.

• Where the transporter is based within Great Britain, APHA will advise the transporter of authorisation requirements and alert the home local authority for where the transporter is based.

If welfare issues are identified during transport, APHA will take action to safeguard the welfare of animals, and where appropriate, engage the relevant local authority who act as our enforcement partner