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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to improve the enforcement of zoo licensing.

The Government published new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain on 24 May 2025. The Standards will come into force from May 2027 and will replace the current 2012 Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice.

One of the objectives in updating the Standards has been to make requirements clearer to aid enforcement and compliance. The Department will continue to work with the Zoos Expert Committee – as well as the Animal Health and Plant Agency and others – to ensure the Standards are effectively implemented.