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 viability of introducing visual checks on dogs entering the country by border staff to help prevent against further abuse and exploitation of the Pet Travel Scheme.

Now that we have left the EU, we are making significant changes to domestic law through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, bringing in legislation to further protect the welfare of pets, farmed and kept wild animals in Great Britain.

The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill allows us to further protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill also includes powers to introduce further restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.

We already operate one of the most rigorous and robust pet travel checking regimes in Europe. All non-commercial dogs, cats and ferrets entering Great Britain on approved routes (every route other than Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Crown Dependencies) under the Pet Travel rules undergo 100% documentary and identity checks by authorised pet checkers.

Defra's Animal and Plant Health Agency works collaboratively with Border Force and other operational partners at ports, airports and inland, sharing intelligence to enforce the Pet Travel rules, disrupt illegal imports, safeguard the welfare of animals and seize non-compliant animals. We have no plans to introduce further visual checks.