Closed petition Ban the exploitative import of young puppies for sale in the UK.
Plenty of dogs from UK breeders & rescues need homes. Transporting young pups long distances is often stressful, before being sold for ridiculous prices to unsuspecting dog-lovers. Government must adjust current laws, ban this unethical activity on welfare grounds & protect these poor animals ASAP.
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The recent tragic case of a puppy dying just 6 days after being delivered from Russia has exposed a completely legal but immoral route to market for pups bred hundreds of miles away & sold away from their mums. Who’s actually inspecting these breeders & transportation conditions? Selling imported pups like this is cruel & appears to contradict the Government’s own advice to always physically “see puppies interacting with their mothers in their place of birth” as with Lucy’s Law in England.
This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months
Parliament debated this topic
This topic was debated on 7 June 2021
Government responded
This response was given on 8 September 2020
The Government works to ensure regulations protecting the welfare of transported animals is followed while also educating potential pet buyers of the risks of buying from a deceitful seller.
Read the response in full
The Government takes the issue surrounding the importation of pets very seriously and continues to ensure that the illegal import of puppies is stopped and that puppies brought into the UK through legal means receive a high standard of care.
The rules concerning the commercial transportation of animals are set out in Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and in domestic legislation, The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 (WATEO). The EU legislation aims to protect the welfare of animals during transportation and applies to animals transported in connection with an economic activity.
Under article 4 of The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006, there are some general provisions for the protection of all animals during transport. It is an offence to transport animals, including people transporting dogs, in a way that will cause injury or unnecessary suffering. Animals must be transported in a means of transport which takes in to consideration the conditions required for the animals such as space, ventilation, temperature, security, liquid and oxygen needs.
The primary responsibility for the enforcement of the transport legislation rests with Local Authorities. Local Authorities carry out routine welfare checks on animals and their means of transport and will take appropriate enforcement measures up to and including prosecution if required.
Our policy is to ensure, therefore, full application of existing EU rules on our territory during the Transition Period, and to encourage other member states to do the same. Unilaterally banning the import of puppies would amount to a restriction on trade which would need strong justification under World Trade Organisation rules and whilst we remain in the transition period, is not possible under EU trade law. Following the end of the Transition period we will explore options to combat the trade in young puppies which are consistent with World Trade Organisation rules.
The government also continues to raise awareness regarding the improper selling of pets by deceitful sellers through our ‘Petfished’ campaign which seeks to educate prospective pet buyers on common tricks and tactics used by deceitful sellers which may result in the purchase of a mistreated or unwell pet. The campaign urges buyers to mitigate risks, for example by buying from trusted sellers such as those under the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeder scheme, viewing puppies with their mothers and siblings, asking questions of the seller and following the Animal Welfare Foundation and RSPCA Puppy Contract to ensure that puppies are in good health when purchased.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response towards the bottom of the petition page (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/326261)
Related activity
Original Government Response
The Government works to ensure regulations protecting the welfare of transported animals is followed while also educating potential pet buyers of the risks of buying from a deceitful seller.
The Government takes the issue surrounding the importation of pets very seriously and continues to ensure that the illegal import of puppies is stopped and that puppies brought into the UK through legal means receive a high standard of care.
The rules concerning the commercial transportation of animals are set out in Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and in domestic legislation, The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 (WATEO). The EU legislation aims to protect the welfare of animals during transportation and applies to animals transported in connection with an economic activity.
Under article 4 of The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006, there are some general provisions for the protection of all animals during transport. It is an offence to transport animals, including people transporting dogs, in a way that will cause injury or unnecessary suffering. Animals must be transported in a means of transport which takes in to consideration the conditions required for the animals such as space, ventilation, temperature, security, liquid and oxygen needed.
The primary responsibility for the enforcement of the transport legislation rests with Local Authorities. Local Authorities carry out routine welfare checks on animals and their means of transport and will take appropriate enforcement measures up to and including prosecution if required.
Our policy is to ensure, therefore, full application of existing EU rules on our territory during the Transition Period, and to encourage other member states to do the same. The end of the Transition Period will open up numerous opportunities for us to further strengthen animal welfare standards in the UK.
The government also continues to raise awareness regarding the improper selling of pets by deceitful sellers through our ‘Petfished’ campaign which seeks to educate prospective pet buyers on common tricks and tactics used by deceitful sellers which may result in the purchase of a mistreated or unwell pet. The campaign urges buyers to mitigate risks, for example by buying from trusted sellers such as those under the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeder scheme, viewing puppies with their mothers and siblings, asking questions of the seller and following the Animal Welfare Foundation and RSPCA Puppy Contract to ensure that puppies are in good health when purchased.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This response was given on 16 July 2020. The Petitions Committee then requested a revised response, that more directly addressed the request of the petition.
Government announces plans for new animal welfare laws
As part of the Queen's Speech on Tuesday 11th May, the Government announced that it plans to introduce new laws to protect and promote the highest standards of animal welfare in the UK.
The Government's proposals are set out in a new Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which was published this week. Its proposals focus on improving the welfare of pets and farmed animals, and protecting wild animals in the UK and animals exported or found outside the UK.
The Government intends to introduce three new Bills into Parliament to make these changes - the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, the Kept Animals Bill, and the Animals Abroad Bill. These Bills will be published in due course.
Read more about the Government's plans here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-lead-the-way-on-animal-welfare-through-flagship-new-action-plan
Read the Queen's Speech background briefing notes for more information on the Government's proposed Bills:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/queens-speech-2021-background-briefing-notes
What is the Queen's Speech?
The Queen's Speech is the speech that the Queen reads out in the House of Lords Chamber on the occasion of the State Opening of Parliament.
It's written by the Government and sets out the programme of Bills - new laws, and changes to existing laws - that the Government intends to put forward in this new Parliamentary session. A session of Parliament usually lasts around one year.
Once the Government puts forward a Bill in Parliament, Parliament then debates the Government's proposal and decides whether to adopt the changes to the law set out in the Bill.
MPs debate Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was debated at second reading on Monday 25 October. This is the first opportunity for MPs to debate the main principles of a bill.
You can watch the debate on the Parliament Live TV website:
https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/83f97daa-3aa7-4d29-9910-251d58e1feed?in=17:47:44
Read the transcript of the debate:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-10-25/debates/58F30AB3-1785-491F-B9ED-0DDD739F64D8/AnimalWelfare(KeptAnimals)Bill
Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill
This bill aims to improve welfare standards and protect pets, livestock and wild animals.
It includes provisions to:
- Introduce new powers to tackle puppy smuggling
- Give new powers to police to protect livestock from out of control dogs
- Introduce regulations which prohibit the importation of animals that have been mutilated, such as ear-cropped dogs.
What happens next?
The bill has now been sent to a Public Bill Committee, where MPs will scrutinise the bill line by line. They are expected to report to the House by Thursday 18 November.
Read more about the bill and keep up to date with its progress: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2880
What is a second reading?
Second reading is the first opportunity for MPs to debate the main principles of a bill.
The Government minister, spokesperson or MP responsible for the bill opens the second reading debate. They usually begin by responding with their views on the bill. The debate then continues with other Opposition parties and backbench MPs giving their opinions.
At the end of the debate, the Commons decides whether the bill should be given its second reading, meaning it can proceed to the next stage. If there isn't consensus that a bill should proceed to its next stage, MPs will vote on this.
Find out more about how second readings work: https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/passage-bill/commons/coms-commons-second-reading/
Further information
Find out how to get involved in the work of the UK Parliament: https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/