Major new inquiry by EFRA into pet welfare and abuse
Naturewatch Foundation is delighted that MPs have launched a major new inquiry into Pet Welfare and Abuse. Over the coming months, politicians who sit on the EFRA Committee will scrutinise laws in England and Wales that protect pets and will delve into a number of important issues, including unregulated canine fertility clinics – an issue that we’ve been campaigning against since 2021.
As part of the inquiry, anyone who is concerned about pet welfare can submit their views about topics including low-welfare dog importation (aka puppy smuggling), the mutilation of pets, and low-welfare breeding trends that are enabling the ‘creation’ of (often unhealthy) designer breeds – all issues that Naturewatch Foundation is concerned about. At the end of the inquiry, MPs will present their findings and recommendations to Parliament – and the Government will have to respond.
You may have seen recent coverage of some of these issues on Dogs, Dealers and Organised Crime, which aired on BBC One’s Panorama and Disclosure programmes. The documentary provided a window into the world of illegal dog breeding in the UK. Despite groups like Naturewatch Foundation campaigning against low-welfare breeding and puppy farming for many years, new trends are constantly emerging as unscrupulous people try to cash in on the public’s love for dogs. The show also highlighted canine fertility clinics, which we’ve been campaigning against, and their role in illicit breeding.
You may have seen some of our work about canine fertility clinics so far but, if you haven’t, these self-styled ‘clinics’ offer breeding services, including many that should only be undertaken by veterinary professionals. However, there is often no veterinary involvement at all. Our research has found that many vets and nurses are concerned by the rapid growth in fertility clinics and that most believe the procedures they most commonly perform should only be carried out by veterinary professionals.
Canine fertility clinics are all over the UK now, and many are helping unscrupulous breeders to mass- produce designer pups who will almost certainly suffer because of how they look. If that weren’t bad enough, some illicit breeders and fertility clinics are involved in animal abuse, such as cropping dogs’ ears, which is illegal in the UK.
We’re grateful that MPs have engaged with our campaign and that many important pet welfare issues are being examined alongside one another – we hope that the committee’s recommendations are ambitious so that we can begin to stamp out bad breeding practices and pet abuse once and for all. Naturewatch Foundation looks forward to engaging with the inquiry.
