Oliver lead a debate yesterday in Westminster Hall on the Dog Meat trade in South Korea, an issue that had been raised with him by many constituents.
Mr Dowden said: “I was proud to lead a debate in Parliament on behalf of Petitions Committee on which I sit, opposing the Dog Meat Trade in South Korea. This petition attracted lots of support, signed by over 100,000 people and was raised with me by lots of my constituents.
“I must admit I had relatively little knowledge of this before agreeing to lead the debate on behalf of the petitioners. I have been shocked and deeply concerned by some of the evidence presented to me.
“Animal welfare is very important to me and how we treat animals is a measure of our civility as a country. Britain is a nation of dog lovers and cruelty to them or any other animal is abhorrent.”