PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(10 December 2024)

Question Asked

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to regulate cat breeding.

Asked by:
Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat)

Answer

Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, anyone in the business of breeding and selling cats as pets needs to have a valid licence issued by their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences.

Defra has been working on a post-implementation review of the Regulations which considers whether the objectives further improve the protections they provide. We are also carefully considering recommendations in the EFRA select committee’s report into pet welfare and abuse and the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on feline breeding, which will be published shortly.


Answered by:
()

1 January 1970

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