5 May 2023
PDSA officials say the findings of their PAW Report show the need for tighter rules and warn it would be ‘unconscionable’ for the Kept Animals Bill not to become law.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Sean Wensley, PDSA senior vet surgeon for communication and education.
A charity has warned that tens of thousands of dogs are potentially being imported into the UK specifically because they have cropped ears.
PDSA has added its voice to those expressing concerns about the fate of the Kept Animals Bill after a committee of MPs demanded a firm date for its long-awaited return to Parliament.
The organisation has also called for tighter import regulations after its latest data revealed more than 6 in 10 professionals had reported an increase in the proportion of exotic disease cases they see.
Figures contained in its annual PAW Report suggest imported dogs now account for 8% of the UK’s total canine population, up from 6% last year and equating to around 900,000 animals.
The largest proportion of imported dog owners (37%) who responded to a survey carried out on its behalf by YouGov insisted they had no preference for where their pet came from.
But 18% said they had been turned down by a UK rescue centre, while 3% – the equivalent of an estimated 29,000 dogs – said they had specifically wanted a dog with cropped ears.
While ear cropping is already illegal in the UK, the Kept Animals Bill would close the loophole that currently enables dogs that have endured the mutilation abroad to be brought into the country.
Sean Wensley, PDSA’s senior veterinary surgeon for communication and education, said the proportion of owners who specifically sought dogs with cropped ears was “very worrying” – particularly amid rising concerns about the fate of the bill.
Defra maintains the Government is still committed to passing the bill into law, but has consistently refused to say exactly when that might happen.
The latest call for clarity came in a letter from the EFRA select committee to the Defra secretary, Thérèse Coffey, which asked for a specific date for the bill’s report stage in the Commons, or whether it would be carried over into the next parliamentary session if necessary.
Vet and committee member Neil Hudson warned it was “vital” that the measures contained in the bill were brought forward quickly.
And Dr Wensley said: “There is a grave concern that [the bill] seems to have lost some political support within Government circles.
“If that is the case, the very many opportunities that it presents to improve animal welfare will be lost, and that’s an unconscionable outcome for a nation of animal lovers.”
The report has also highlighted growing concern about the threat posed by exotic diseases, with 61% of veterinary professionals surveyed reporting they had seen more cases over the past two years.
Three in 10 respondents reported rising levels of leishmaniosis, while 20% said they had seen more cases of brucellosis, over the same period.
Although nearly 4 in 5 (78%) owners said they knew their dog had been tested for diseases before being imported, the survey also found that only 12% knew they had been specifically tested for Brucella canis, the bacteria that causes brucellosis, while almost half (48%) did not know what diseases their pet had been specifically tested for.
While he stopped short of advocating limits on the importation of animals – a topic that is set to be discussed at BVA Live in Birmingham this week – Dr Wensley echoed recent calls from fellow senior charity officials for tighter rules in the area.
He said: “There needs to be far more regulation and then it can be done properly. I’m not sure that an outright ban on pets from abroad would be appropriate or necessarily workable, but the very lax way that it’s being done at the minute risks both animal welfare and public health.
“That needs to be taken seriously and regulated for, more effectively.”
A review of the risks posed by B canis by the Defra-chaired Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group, which was confirmed in January, remains ongoing. Although there is currently no mandatory requirement, the department recommends pre-arrival testing for dogs being imported from areas where B canis is known to be present, and will consider tighter measures “as appropriate”.
The department is also funding a new study, led by the University of Liverpool, examining the impact of imports on dog welfare.
Academics at the University of Liverpool Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences are collaborating with The University of Edinburgh, VetPartners and Dogs Trust on the project, which includes an online questionnaire exploring vets’ experiences of the health, welfare and behavioural state of imported dogs when they are presented to practices.
The study will also feature interviews with representatives of international rescue organisations, as well as analysis of public discussion platforms.
The questionnaire, which organisers said should take around 15 minutes to complete, is available via https://tinyurl.com/importeddogs
The PAW Report is available online now.
