North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has once again joined Dogs Trust to highlight the terrible trade in puppy smuggling.
Puppies being smuggled into the UK face horribly cramped conditions, with no food, little water and no exercise or toilet breaks. Such conditions can cause serious and lifelong health issues.
Between December 2015 and 11th June 2020, 1,184 puppies were taken in by the Dogs Trust through its Puppy Pilot Scheme. Sadly, puppy smuggling is a lucrative business, and the puppies taken in by the Dogs Trust are believed to have a market value of £2m.
The trust has also reported a concerning rise in the number of pregnant bitches being smuggled in an effort to avoid detection. Since early 2019, 34 pregnant bitches have been taken in by the Dogs Trust having been smuggled into the country – 11 of these have been since the start of the current lockdown. The pregnant dogs taken in by the Dogs Trust have given birth to 148 puppies, and its estimated the puppies would have been worth over a quarter of a million pounds to the smugglers.
In 2012, there were changes to the EU’s non-commercial Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), which allowed dogs as young as 15 weeks to get a pet passport. This move has seen the number of puppies smuggled into the UK rise significantly, from 85,299 in 2011 to 307,263 in 2019. Smugglers have been using PETS as a cover to smuggle puppies into the UK, with puppies disguised as being pet dogs to avoid the commercial checks which are more stringent. With the UK taking back control of its borders post-Brexit, there is a unique opportunity to implement its own tougher measures to tackle puppy smuggling by introducing tougher checks and regulations at the border.
Justin has consistently campaigned for an end to the cruel practice of puppy farming and puppy smuggling, working alongside Pup Aid ambassador Rachel Riley and TV vet Marc Abrahams.
In 2014, Justin helped lead a cross-party debate on the issue of puppy & kitten smuggling - the first major debate on the issue in the House of Commons ever. The campaign was backed by more than 140,000 people across the country (including thousands from Swindon) who signed a Parliamentary petition set up by Marc Abrahams and the Pup Aid campaign.
Since that debate, Justin has continued to push for changes to law, meeting with experts from the Dogs Trust, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, the Kennel Club, and Pup Aid, as well as repeatedly raising the issue with Ministers.
Justin Tomlinson said: “Puppies being smuggled into the UK face a painful and terrifying journey. This awful practice must stop. I urge anyone wanting to get a puppy to go through a re-homing charity, or a reputable breeder, ensuring that they see the puppy happy and comfortable with its mum. I will continue pushing on this issue, and will work with charities and experts, as well as my colleagues in government, to ensure that we really tackle puppy smuggling post-Brexit.”
