Thank you for contacting me about puppy smuggling.
I would like to
assure you that Ministers are committed to cracking down on puppy smuggling and
will ban the imports of young or heavily pregnant dogs, as well as dogs with
mutilations, such as cropped ears or docked tails. Applying strengthened
penalties will send a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated
and will enable our courts to take a firmer approach to cases where pets are
illegally imported. I understand that the Government plans to take forward
legislative measures to tackle puppy smuggling as soon as parliamentary time
allows.
The UK has one of
the most rigorous pet travel border checking regimes in the world and I am
aware that every dog travelling into Great Britain on approved routes has its
microchip and paperwork checked to make sure they are all properly vaccinated
and are old enough to travel. In addition, the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Defra) consulted on proposed changes to the commercial and
non-commercial movements of pets into Great Britain. Defra has been carefully
reviewing feedback from this consultation, and I look forward to reading a
summary in due course.
Further, Ministers
have taken action to tackle the practice of puppy farming. Following the
introduction of Lucy’s Law in 2020, everyone must now buy directly from
breeders or consider adopting from rescue centres, which is a major step in
stopping the illegal pet trade. If an individual sells puppies or kittens
without a licence, they could receive an unlimited fine or be sent to prison
for up to six months.
Thank you again for
taking the time to contact me.
No comments:
Post a Comment