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 adequacy of penalties for people illegally importing dogs.

The Government takes the illegal importation of pets seriously. It is an abhorrent trade which causes suffering to animals.

In August 2021, the Government launched an 8-week consultation on proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain, and appropriate penalties for those who illegally import dogs. We are carefully reviewing this feedback and wider engagement with stakeholders in the animal welfare sector and a summary will be published in due course.