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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of further restricting the importation of pets from overseas to encourage the rehousing of animals in UK pet rescue facilities.

Rescue and rehoming centres in this country carry out important work to ensure that unwanted and abandoned animals in the UK are offered the opportunity of a forever home. We advise people seeking to acquire a new pet to first consider adopting from a reputable UK-based pet rescue and rehoming centre.

Defra has been engaging with rescue and rehoming centres to understand their views on, and the possible impacts of, regulating the sector. This follows calls for more transparency for prospective pet owners where there are concerns that pet dealers may masquerade as rehoming centres to circumvent the ban on third-party sales of puppies and kittens. Any proposal to bring forward regulations will be subject to a consultation.

The end of the Transition Period opens up new opportunities for managing our own pet travel and pet import arrangements, including ensuring that there are robust controls on disease and animal welfare.

It is possible that reductions in import volumes may generate increased demand from domestic sources, including from domestic pet rescue facilities. The Government encourages people to source pets responsibly, and our current Petfished campaign is raising the public’s awareness of the consequences of buying from a low-welfare seller and challenging the assumption that it is easy to spot bad practice. The campaign also signposts to resources available to help people make a good decision.