Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 35
Add seals to Wildlife and Countryside Act Schedule 5; close cetacean product transit loophole
Recommendation
The current UK legal framework around the protection of marine mammals is incoherent and not sufficient to effectively preserve these precious species. UK measures are in stark contrast to best practice exemplified internationally by the 1972 Protecting Marine Mammals in the UK and Abroad 29 US Marine Mammal Protection Act, and, as ministers conceded to us in evidence, there are concerning loopholes that harm marine species. We strongly endorse the JNCC’s recommendation that seals be added to the list of species in Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act to protect them from reckless disturbance, and wish to see this implemented as soon as practicable. We also recommend that Defra should work with stakeholders and their legal advisers to explore ways to close the loophole which currently allows the transit of cetacean products through UK ports. We call for an assessment by the Department of options and their feasibility, in a supplementary response to this Report, by December 2023.
Government Response Summary
The government defers the decision on adding seals to Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, stating it is still considering the submission. It highlights existing awareness campaigns and the publication of a marine wildlife code but does not address the recommendation to explore ways to close the cetacean product transit loophole or provide an assessment.
Paragraph Reference:
35
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
We are still considering JNCC’s extensive submission on the 7th Quinquennial Review (QQR 7) of Schedule 5 (protected wild animals) and Schedule 8 (protected wild plants) as required by Section 24(1) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA 1981). In the meantime, Defra have been working to raise awareness of the impact that disturbance can have on marine wildlife, including seals. Together with the Seal Alliance, Defra launched a Government-backed campaign in 2021, ‘Give Seals Space’. As part of this campaign, Defra provided funding for signs to be put up on the banks of the Thames in early 2023 to further raise awareness of the impact of disturbance on seals and the importance of keeping dogs under close control. More recently, Defra published the Marine and coastal wildlife code for England in May this year. This provides advice and guidance to help people visit the coast responsibly and minimise disturbance to marine wildlife.