Pet welfare and abuse – Inquiry:
This inquiry is considering the post-pandemic health and
welfare concerns of companion animals, including abuse and mutilation.
This is a House of Commons Committee report, with
recommendations to government. The Government has two months to respond.
Report Summary April 2024:
Over half of UK adults own a pet, and the country is often
described as a nation of animal lovers. During our inquiry, however, we heard
serious concerns about the risks posed to pet welfare by practices including
unscrupulous breeding, the proliferation of Canine Fertility Clinics, the
breeding of so-called ‘designer’ dogs, and abhorrent acts of abuse and
mutilation. We considered the risks associated with pet importation, including
puppy smuggling, the import of heavily pregnant and very young pets, the import
of dogs with cropped ears and docked tails, and declawed cats, and the
management of biosecurity. We took evidence from a wide range of sector experts
on how existing legislation should be improved in order to provide stronger
animal welfare safeguards, and robustly penalise those who seek to circumvent
the law.
Throughout our inquiry we heard strong sector support for
bringing forward all of the measures proposed under the withdrawn Animal
Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill 2021–22 as a matter of urgency. While the Licensing
of Activities Involving Animals (2018) Regulations have helped establish a
framework for higher welfare standards, these should be made more robust in
order to clamp down on breeders who undercut standards to maximise profit. The
Government should introduce a new Veterinary Surgeons Act to ensure that it is
fit to tackle 21st century challenges. In particular, it must provide
appropriate regulation for Canine Fertility Clinics, and introduce stringent
and proportionate penalties for individuals who illegally perform acts of
veterinary surgery. While the Animal Welfare Act 2006 prohibits the carrying
out of mutilations such as ear cropping, tail docking, and declawing of cats,
the import of animals with these mutilations is not currently prohibited, and
this loophole should be closed as a matter of priority.
Our inquiry’s key findings and recommendations are:
The Government’s withdrawal of the Animal Welfare (Kept
Animals) Bill stalled progress on key animal welfare issues. These delays have
allowed the continuation of poor animal welfare practices. The Department must
ensure that every provision from the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill is
brought into force during the current Parliament. We welcome the introduction
of Private Members’ bills that will take forward vital animal welfare measures,
but note that the Government was relying heavily on Members who were successful
in the Private Members’ bill ballot being willing to take on its handout bills
to deliver its manifesto promises, rather than committing to bringing forward
the legislation itself. While on this occasion it may prove successful, it was
nonetheless a risky strategy.
It is estimated that less than half of puppies entering the
market are from licensed breeders. The lack of traceability enables
unscrupulous, low welfare breeding practices to flourish under the radar. More
stringent safeguards are needed to ensure robust protections for the welfare of
dogs and their puppies. The Department should improve traceability of dog
breeding by introducing legislation to reduce the litter licensing threshold
from three to two per 12-month period.
Cat breeding is becoming an increasingly accessible and
lucrative business, but there are few legal safeguards to protect cats and
their kittens. Cat breeding should be awarded the same legislative safeguards
as awarded to dogs under Licensing of Activities Involving Animals Regulations.
The sharp rise in Canine Fertility Clinics from 37 in 2020,
to over 400 currently, is of significant concern, particularly given their
association with the breeding of so-called ‘designer’ dogs, such as
brachycephalic breeds, and other breeds whose extreme characteristics have the
potential to compromise health and welfare. The Government should make it a
priority to introduce legislation to reform the Veterinary Surgeons Act (1966)
to include Canine Fertility Clinics. The current £100 fine for performing acts
of veterinary surgery illegally is a derisory deterrent. The Government should
bring this fine in line with the penalties under The Animals (Penalty Notices)
Act 2022.
Local authority animal welfare officers play a vital role in
the licensing and enforcement activities that help protect animals. However,
the ability of local authorities to perform regulatory activities is
constrained by a lack of specialist knowledge and training, and inadequate
funding and resources. This results in an inconsistent approach nationally. A
central unit of suitably trained inspectors should be established which can be
utilised by local authorities to improve collaboration and disseminate best
practice.
Mutilations such as ear cropping, cosmetic tail docking and
declawing are ethically abhorrent procedures with lasting welfare implications.
The Government should close the loophole that allows the importation of
mutilated animals as a matter of urgency, and certainly before the end of the
current Parliament. Alongside this, the Government should legislate to restrict
the possession, hosting, sale and supply of DIY ear cropping kits, which are
all too easy to purchase online.
Carriers, meaning ferry companies or the Eurotunnel, play a
key role in the pet importation and checking process, but it is not evident
that carriers are striking the right balance between speed, checks, profit and
identifying non-compliance. We have strong concerns about the robustness of a
pet importation system that is based on 100% documentary checks at ports. This
has implications for both biosecurity and smuggling. Puppy smuggling is
perceived as a low risk, high reward crime, with the potential for sizeable
profitmaking. To clamp down on smuggling, and prevent the import of very young
puppies and heavily pregnant dogs, the Government should implement:
A reduction on the number of dogs and cats that can be
imported by an individual into the UK from five per person to five per vehicle,
and three per foot or air passenger.
A ban on the importation of puppies and kittens under six
months.
A ban on the importation of pregnant dogs and cats in the
last 30% of gestation.
