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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of checks on the welfare and age of dogs imported into Great Britain for sale.

The UK has one of the toughest pet border checking regimes in the world and this Government is committed to preserving the high standards of biosecurity and animal welfare.

The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 gives the Government powers to prohibit the import into Great Britain of puppies and kittens under six months old and introduce measures to strengthen current enforcement mechanisms. Defra will continue to work with UK enforcement bodies as we develop these measures.