Thank you for contacting me about animal welfare.
My ministerial colleagues and I are united in the Government’s commitment to upholding our world leading standards in animal welfare.
I know that Ministers are committed to legislation to ban the import of hunting trophies from thousands of species. This will be one of the toughest bans in the world, and goes beyond the Government’s manifesto commitment, meaning that the UK will be leading the way in protecting endangered animals and helping to strengthen and support long-term conservation. The Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill was recently introduced to Parliament and I look forward to supporting this Bill as it makes its way through the House.
Regarding foie gras, I am aware that the production of force-fed foie gras raises welfare concerns. This practice is already banned in England and Wales under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. I understand that Ministers are now able to consider any further steps that could be taken in relation to foie gras that is produced overseas using force feeding practices. The Government continues to gather information and build a clear evidence base to inform decisions on the import or sale of foie gras.
Finally, fur farming has been banned in the UK for 20 years and there are already restrictions on some skin and fur products which may never be legally imported into the UK. The Government’s call for evidence to seek views and evidence on the current fur sector will be used to inform future decisions on the fur trade. I understand that the Government will be publishing the outcome of this call for evidence in due course.
