§ Mr. WyattTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the import of primates from South-East Asia for onward export abroad for the purpose of experiment. [104280]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food authorises the transportation of animals, including primates, to the United Kingdom. Import licences for primates are issued under the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and other Mammals) Order 1974 (as amended). These specify the intended use and require the animals to be transported immediately after landing by an authorised carrying agent to an authorised quarantine premises. They must remain there for six calendar months. Licences are not required in the case of animals which land at a port or airport for onward export from the same place within 48 hours. If an animal is exported from the United Kingdom before the period of quarantine is completed, their movement to the port of departure must be licensed.
As such animals are not for use in regulated procedures in the United Kingdom, the Home Office has no involvement with them except where they are held in a supplying establishment designated under the Animals 466W (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The establishment will be expected to meet the standards published in the Home Office Codes of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals. All establishments are regularly inspected, often without prior notice, to assess compliance with the 1986 Act, the terms and conditions of the certificate of designation, and the standards set out in the Codes of Practice.