MP hails welfare ‘impact’ as puppy smuggling bill becomes law

A vet and MP has hailed the final passage of new laws clamping down on pet smuggling and the import of mutilated dogs and cats onto the statute book.

Defra announced this afternoon (2 December), that the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill had received Royal Assent, having completed its final Parliamentary stage last month.

The announcement came slightly more than a year after the legislation was first introduced in a private member’s bill tabled by Liberal Democrat Danny Chambers.

Stop to abuse

He said: “As a vet, I’ve treated many dogs with cruelly cropped ears or docked tails, leaving them physically scarred and emotionally traumatised.

“Knowing this bill will help us put a stop to this abuse and have a bigger impact on animal welfare than I could possibly have achieved in a lifetime treating individual animals, demonstrates how important this legislation will prove to be.

“Thanks to support from Defra, animal welfare organisations and pet lovers across the country, we got the Animal Welfare Bill through the Commons, through the Lords, and today passed into law.”

Imports

Among the new measures are bans on importing cats and dogs that are less than six months old, animals that are heavily pregnant and those that have been declawed or had their ears cropped.

The law will also limit the maximum number of pets that can be transported in a single vehicle to five and require pets travelling separately from owners to do so within a five-day period.

Defra officials said they will now begin work on implementing the new law and delivering secondary legislation.

‘Strengthening rules’

Animal welfare minister Baroness Hayman added: “This Government pledged in its manifesto to end puppy smuggling, and this act does exactly that.

“We’re strengthening the rules on pet travel to help ensure that animals imported into the country for sale are healthy, treated with care and transported humanely.

“This legislation is an important step forward in protecting both pets and prospective pet owners from unnecessary suffering at the hands of heartless traders.”