23 Nov 2023
David Martin tells London Vet Show delegates more needs to be done by professionals, politicians and regulators alike to prevent criminals profiting from poor welfare.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © Syda Productions / Adobe Stock
The veterinary profession has been urged to adopt a tougher stance against criminal gangs who use the breeding and sale of dogs to support other illegal activities.
The plea came from IVC Evidensia’s group animal welfare advisor David Martin as he outlined the links between animal welfare and the criminal underworld during the London Vet Show.
He also called on regulators and politicians to do more to target those who are profiting from animal suffering.
Although the problem of irresponsible breeding has become more apparent in recent times, amid the COVID ownership surge, organised crime groups are thought to have been involved in production and sales for many years before that.
Under current rules, breeders should be licensed if they produce three or more litters during a 12-month period and sell any of the puppies.
In a packed lecture session, delegates heard that several co-criminalities – including drug dealing, human trafficking, money laundering, firearms offences and even some forms of terrorism – have been linked to breeding operations.
Dr Martin, who has acted as an expert witness in several criminal prosecutions, said one way the profession could take a greater collective responsibility for welfare was by encouraging currently unlicensed breeders to take out licences.
He went on: “People who won’t be licenced, we need to stop providing services to. I’m talking about the people producing 20 and 30 and 40 litters a year. If we keep vaccinating, they’ll keep bringing them in and making profit.
“As a profession, we need to draw a line. Otherwise we’re supporting drug dealing; human trafficking; terrorism.”
Dr Martin argued that the vast majority of canine fertility clinics operating in the UK were “not doing good” and more could be done to tackle their activities, despite describing the maximum £100 fine available under the current Veterinary Surgeons Act as “pocket change”.
He also used the talk to reiterate his call for an outright ban on the ownership of dogs with cropped ears.
The Government has pledged to outlaw the importation of dogs who have already undergone the mutilation, which is illegal to carry out in the UK.
But Dr Martin said many gang members are willing and able to perform the procedure themselves, and argued an ownership ban would “solve a lot of problems”.
Dr Martin also warned that the controversial XL bully dog type – ownership of which is set to become a criminal offence early in the new year – is likely to have been in the UK for much longer than has so far been thought.
Meanwhile, Lamond Vets clinical director and welfare lead Richard Sinclair raised doubts about the effectiveness of Government plans to ban XL ownership.
Although ministers have claimed the measure is necessary on public safety grounds, he said 22 out of 23 fatalities linked to the dog type since 2021 had occurred in the home, meaning measures such as muzzling were unlikely to have saved them.
