15 Apr 2024
Veterinary and welfare sector leaders have backed calls for wide-ranging legislative and regulatory change after MPs set out the range of measures they think are needed.
Allister Webb
Job TitleVeterinary and welfare sector leaders have demanded an urgent response from ministers after a group of MPs called for wide-ranging legislative and regulatory reform.
A new report from the Commons EFRA select committee has recommended tougher breeding and importation rules, plus a new Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA) to replace the present law and its “derisory” penalties.
The Government formally has until early June to respond to the document, and Defra officials said the department would “carefully consider” its findings.
However, BVA president Anna Judson was among many voices who welcomed the report, praising the “breadth and scope” of its recommendations on issues including fertility clinics and breeds with extreme characteristics.
She said: “We urge the Government to act swiftly, not only to protect these animals, but also to address broader problems of pet welfare and breeding.”
The 47-page report on pet welfare and abuse made 17 separate recommendations for action, including prioritisation of new legislation to replace the present VSA, whose maximum £100 fine for breaches was branded a “derisory deterrent”.
The committee also called for all of the measures originally included in the Kept Animals Bill, which was dropped in June last year, to be passed into law during the current Parliament. But much of the reaction to the report has focused on its calls for tighter breeding and licensing rules.
The committee said the growth of canine fertility clinics in recent years was “of significant concern” and called for a new VSA to regulate them, as well.
The report also called for a cut in litter licensing limits from 3 to 2 per 12-month period, a ban on the importation of animals that have endured mutilations such as ear cropping and declawing, plus cat breeding to have the same legal safeguards as those already existing for dogs.
Pets at Home’s head of clinical services, Samantha Butler-Davies, said the Government should now examine the case for reform “as a matter of urgency”.
She added: “Our veterinary colleagues and partners see the impact of unlicensed fertility clinics, as well as legal loopholes which allow importations of cats and dogs that have suffered cosmetic mutilations every day in their practices and more support must be made available.”
Naturewatch Foundation companion animal campaign manager Natalie Harney said: “Unregulated canine fertility clinics and unlicensed breeding cause misery to thousands of dogs each year, and loopholes mean too many pets simply slip through the cracks.
“As a nation, we love our pets as family; it’s time to ensure the law that protects them is fit for purpose.”
Meanwhile, David Bowles, the RSPCA’s head of public affairs, warned cat breeding was becoming “an increasingly accessible and lucrative business” without legislative protections.
He said: “Further legislation will help to ensure that breeders don’t prioritise profit over the welfare of cats and kittens who sadly can suffer from a range of health problems as a result of multiple pregnancies, or not receiving proper vet care and vaccinations.”
A Defra spokesperson said: “We will carefully consider the EFRA committee’s recommendations alongside our own review of the animal activity licensing regulations to consider whether further action is needed.”
