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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Benyon on 25 January (HL Deb col 69GC), how many of the dogs recently imported from Afghanistan have been found to have serious diseases; what steps are being taken to control the spread of Brucella canis, identified among some of these dogs; and whether the dogs will remain in quarantine until full biosecurity guarantees can be given.

We have some of the strongest biosecurity and safety controls in the world to help protect people and animals against diseases coming into the country.

Whilst I am unable to comment on individual cases, I can provide reassurance that the Animal and Plant Health Agency has worked closely and constructively with Nowzad to manage rabies and other disease risks effectively. Dogs were only released to Nowzad after fully completing the necessary rabies quarantine and treatment process.

We have separately taken a number of wider actions to address the risks posed by Brucella canis. Firstly, we have required that incidences of the pathogen in dogs are now reportable under the Zoonoses Order. This will allow us to monitor the number of cases and determine whether there is a wider problem within the existing UK dog population. In addition we are working to raise the profile of the disease with public health and veterinary professionals. We have undertaken a risk review and statement on the public health risk which was published on the UK Health Security Agency website on 12 February 2021, and our Chief Veterinary Officer has written an open letter to the Vet Record to warn veterinarians about the risk and what to look for in sick dogs. We will continue to gather information on the disease risk posed by Brucella canis and will consider any further actions as appropriate.