Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about the keeping of wild animals as pets and the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.

I believe in a society where no animal is made to suffer unnecessary pain and degradation and where we continue to drive up standards and practice in line with the most recent advances and understanding.

I have long supported a ban on the keeping of primates as pets as it is inhumane and wrong, and I am pleased that the Government has now pledged to introduce such a ban. It states that keepers who are able to provide animal welfare standards akin to licensed zoos will be able to keep primates under a new licensing regime subject to conditions and inspections. Those who are unable to meet the standards will have their ownership phased out.

The Government has said it will consider whether restrictions should also apply to other wild animals kept as pets. I will follow developments on this closely.

More widely, I supported the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill and am pleased that it was passed by Parliament earlier this year. This is a good step for animal welfare as, from 29 June 2021, the maximum penalty for anyone convicted of animal cruelty offences is five years’ imprisonment. The previous maximum of six months’ imprisonment was simply inadequate for the severity of some of these terrible crimes.

The Government states that the welfare of exotic animals held in private residences is protected by this animal cruelty legislation. However, I would have liked to see all wild animals also included within these changes because all animals matter.

I would also like to see an animal welfare commissioner introduced to produce an annual report on the state of animal welfare in England, to ensure that government policy is continually informed and underpinned the latest scientific evidence and best practice in animal welfare. It would also ensure that animal welfare standards are always considered as legislation is introduced.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP