Canine fertility clinics are already subject to regulatory standards as a result of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (“the 2018 Regulations”), the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, and the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, amongst others. For example, under the 2018 Regulations, anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to hold 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 or revoke licences. We are in the process of reviewing the 2018 Regulations, including considering whether the regulations’ scope is sufficient to protect breeding dogs in all settings. The report will be published soon.

Surgical artificial insemination is a prohibited procedure under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It legally restricts mutilations to animals (i.e. procedures which interfere with sensitive tissue or bone structure). Consequently, canine fertility business should not be offering surgical artificial insemination. Anyone convicted of carrying out a prohibited procedure may be imprisoned for a term of up to five years, receive an unlimited fine, or both.

Canine fertility clinics are already subject to regulatory standards as a result of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, and the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, amongst others. The Government has no plans to issue additional guidance requiring veterinary oversight of canine fertility businesses.

Data specifically on the import of canine semen is not available. This is because there is a commodity code on the trade systems, TRACES or the Import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS), for semen and embryos but canine semen is recorded under ‘other species’ in this code.

Data specifically on the import of canine semen is not available. This is because there is a commodity code on the trade systems, TRACES or the Import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS), for semen and embryos but canine semen is recorded under ‘other species’ in this code.

Neospora is a parasite. Neospora caninum may cause abortions in cattle and paralysis in dogs. It is not considered to be infectious to humans. Clinical disease in dogs is rare and owners may not be aware of infection in their pet.

The Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs was presented to Parliament in December 2017. It makes clear that a dog’s handler has a legal obligation to clean up after it (Welfare of Dogs). Similarly, the statutory guidance within the Countryside Code: Advice for Countryside Visitors, updated 01 April 2021, (Countryside Code) highlights the risk of illness to people and livestock, and sets out that dog handlers must clean up after the dog.

Guidance and advice for cattle owners on preventative measures has been provided by the National Animal Disease Information Service NADIS - National Animal Disease Information Service.

The Government remains committed to banning the use of remote controlled hand-held electronic training collars (e-collars) for dogs and cats in England. We will introduce the necessary legislation to implement the ban as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Defra takes the risk of the notifiable disease caused by the tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis, very seriously because of the profound impact this could have on public health if it were to become established in the United Kingdom (UK).

Since harmonising our domestic pet travel rules with those of the EU in January 2012, we ensured that tapeworm controls were maintained, with a treatment period which was expected to increase traveller compliance, while still presenting a very low risk of disease incursion. Those measures have been sufficient to keep the UK free of Echinococcus multilocularis.

Defra has no plans to amend the tapeworm controls for pet animals entering the UK but continues to monitor the disease situation through routine surveillance measures and will undertake a further, formal risk assessment, if evidence indicates that one is warranted.

Defra takes the health and welfare of pet animals coming to the UK very seriously. We share the view expressed by Dogs Trust in their most recent report about puppy smuggling that this is an abhorrent practice that harms the health and welfare of the animals involved. Moreover, we are determined to put an end to the illegal trade in puppies by adopting a zero tolerance approach to those that seek to exploit the Pet Travel Scheme (PTS) for the purpose of profit.

The latest Dogs Trust investigative report highlighted the activities of unscrupulous traders who import puppies from third countries, such as Serbia, using falsified passports that conceal the true age and country of origin of the puppies, presenting a risk to the health of pets and people in the UK.

The Animal Plant and Health Agency’s Intelligence Unit continues to gather information on those importing puppies illegally to quantify the scale of the problem and allow targeted disruption of their activities. Furthermore, Defra is engaged in a process of evaluating the risks to animal health and welfare that illegal imports of dogs pose, and developing long term strategies to better tackle them. We look forward to working with Dogs Trust on the evidence they have gathered to help inform our analysis.

There is a general existing requirement under the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order (2006) that protects all animals during transport. This regulation makes it an offence to cause or be likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering during transport.

Whilst we remain a member of the EU, we continue to be signed up to the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme. After we leave we want pet owners to continue to be able to travel to and from the EU with the minimum of disruption whilst maintaining high biosecurity and welfare standards. The Government is negotiating our departure from the EU and Defra is looking at future arrangements, including those for pet travel. We are also putting in place contingency arrangements in the event of a no-deal outcome.

The ban on cat and dog fur as introduced by EU Regulation No 1523/2007 will be rolled over as part of the Withdrawal Bill.

The Government has no plans to remove this ban once we leave the EU.

Defra is concerned about the risks of non-native tick species entering the UK, and in particular, the diseases that ticks can carry. Tick surveillance has shown that tick distribution and abundance is changing throughout the UK for many reasons, including habitat and climate change. Small numbers of localised infestations with non-native tick species have been reported in recent years, and imported rescue dogs have been demonstrated to be a higher risk for carrying ticks or being infected with tick-borne diseases. For these reasons, Defra strongly encourages pet owners to treat their pets to safeguard their animals against ticks and tick transmitted diseases when travelling abroad. Further advice can be obtained from their local vet, and via the Public Health England (PHE) leaflet available on GOV.UK.

Whilst Defra has no immediate plans to amend the tick controls for pet animals entering the United Kingdom, we remain concerned about the threat of ticks and tick-borne disease. As such, a risk assessment is being planned to guide future policy. Defra also continues to monitor the disease situation through the Tick Surveillance Scheme and encourages members of the public, health practitioners, veterinary practitioners, wildlife groups and others to submit ticks to the scheme, run by PHE.

DEFRA commissioned and has published research which provides evidence that electronic training aids can have a negative impact on the welfare of some dogs. However, the evidence from these studies is not strong enough to support a ban under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Government therefore has no plans to ban such devices in England. However, we have asked the industry to draw up guidance for dog owners and trainers advising how to use e-collars properly and to develop a manufacturers' charter to ensure any e-collars on sale are made to high standards.