Select committee: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Conclusion 2
First Report - Moving animals across borders
Published 30 Sep 2021
Paragraph 13
Addressed to Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Moving animals across borders All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We welcome the Government’s commitment to ban the import of pets younger than six-months-old, heavily pregnant pets, and pets that have been subject to poor animal welfare practices. We recognise the argument that ministers should be able to adapt regulations as science and intelligence evolve. However, we see no future where the movement of young animals, heavily pregnant animals or the import of animals which have been subject to poor welfare practices is acceptable. The need to prevent pet smuggling is serious and urgent, introducing these bans through later secondary legislation will only create further delays, enabling this illicit trade to continue.
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, First Report - Moving animals across borders (HC 79), paragraph 13, 30 September 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 December 2021 (deadline 30 November 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government says it "shares many of the Committee's key concerns" and sets out its approach to pet smuggling, equine identification, livestock movements and biosecurity, agreeing with some recommendations and declining or qualifying others.
- On putting pet import bans in primary legislation, it says the Bill includes a power to restrict imports "via secondary legislation", and it is "working at pace" to deliver that legislation alongside the Bill.
- On moving pet checks from carriers to a Government agency, it says it has "no plans to change the current compliance checking arrangements" but will keep compliance and enforcement "under review".
- It plans a public consultation on equine identification, including further digitisation, "early in the new year". It says it will explore flexibility on 'high health status' horses but notes the Commission has been clear that third country rules apply.
- It "does not accept" that the ban on exports for slaughter will create longer journeys, and it will report back to the Committee within 12 months of implementation of livestock residency and identification requirements.