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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the import of cats that have been declawed.

The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was re-introduced to the House of Commons in May and will progress to Report stage as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill introduces measures relating to the low welfare movements of pets into the United Kingdom and includes powers to introduce further restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.

In August 2021, HM Government launched a consultation on how these powers should be used. The consultation sought views on whether maintaining the existing requirements in relation to cats and kittens was the right approach. We are currently analysing the replies to this consultation and will publish our response in due course.