We are a nation of animal lovers. Every week, I receive e-mails with concerns about animal welfare, and I know from conversations with residents just how important protecting pets in particular is to them.
Evidence suggests that each year more than 700,000 puppies are sold across the UK and that the demand for kittens is approximately the same.
Currently puppies and kittens can either be purchased via a third-party sellers, or directly from a breeder.
The quality of third-party sellers varies wildly. There are no official records of the number of puppies sold via third-parties, which makes it difficult to know how many puppies are bought in this way, but it is believed the number could be as high as 80,000 every year.
While most puppies and kittens are bought through reputable sellers who demand the highest welfare standards, evidence shows that too many of these pets are still being bred in horrific conditions on so-called “puppy farms”, before being passed on to third-party sellers.
These farms see puppies reared in cramped conditions, often with little or no regard for their health, which then has a detrimental impact on their development.
The abhorrent practice of puppy farming is something I have actively campaigned to end. Back in 2014, more than 140,000 people across the country (including thousands from Swindon) signed a petition calling for an end to puppy farming, and I helped lead the first major debate on the issue in the House of Commons.
Working alongside TV vet Marc Abraham and Pup Aid ambassador Rachel Riley, I called for a change to a law that was more than 60 years old and hopelessly out of date.
This week the Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, backed our campaign and confirmed the Government will not only update the law but strengthen it too; banning commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in England.
This will prevent pet shops, pet dealers, and other outlets from selling these animals in England unless they themselves had bred them – another massive change to boost our animal welfare laws.
The announcement means that we will ban licensed sellers from dealing in puppies and kittens under the age of eight weeks; ensure that licensed dog breeders show puppies alongside their mother before a sale is made, and tackle the sale of weak underage puppies.
We will also introduce compulsory licensing for anyone in the business of breeding & selling dogs; require puppy sales to be completed in the presence of the new owner (preventing online sales where prospective buyers have not seen the animal first), and insist licensed dog breeders can only sell puppies they have bred themselves.
The news has already been rightly welcomed by animal welfare charities including the RSPCA. Fellow North Swindon residents too are backing the change to the law.
There is no place in society for those who abuse animals. Their sickening acts should always be met with the full force of the law. This latest change in the law, and our plans to increase the maximum sentence for animal cruelty from six months to five years, shows how seriously we take this.
This new legislation will help save the lives of hundreds of puppies & kittens each year, and ensure that families can welcome pets into their homes – knowing that they have had a caring & safe start to life.
