I feel deeply honoured to have been given the opportunity to present my Animal Welfare Bill to the House in my first term as an MP and have it pass the second reading. I’ve been campaigning on this issue for many years during my career as a veterinary surgeon because I would regularly see the devastating effects of puppy smuggling in my clinic.
Fellow MPs from all the major parties support the Bill and not a single voice was raised in opposition, which demonstrates not just the importance of the issue but also the quality of the legislation. I am proud of all the hard work and help that has gone into it – from my team, animal welfare and veterinary organisations like Dogs Trust, RSPCA and British Veterinary Association, and Defra civil servants.
Cropping dogs’ ears, a cruel procedure where parts of the ear are cut off to make a dog look more intimidating, has long been illegal in the UK, but we are still seeing so many animals with cropped ears. The law still allowed for the import of mutilated animals from abroad. Not only does this leave open a market for imports of dogs with cropped ears, but we know this procedure is being carried out illegally in the UK, with the abusers then avoiding prosecution by falsely claiming animals had been imported with the mutilation. Because it is illegal, ear cropping on puppies is regularly carried out with no anaesthetic or pain relief by people using ‘Home Kits’, which are often just black-market drugs and unsanitary scalpels, or worse, scissors. This barbaric practice has seen a 2000% increase over the past decade. My legislation aims to stop the problem at the source by closing the loopholes gangs use to profit from this animal cruelty – there will no longer be an excuse for owning a cropped-eared puppy.
Both commercial and non-commercial animal imports have risen drastically over the past decade. The RSPCA reported commercial dog imports rising from ~4,000 in 2011 to a peak of over 70,000 in 2021. Statistics from Defra show non-commercial movements of pets rose from 100,000 in 2011 to over 320,000 in 2023 – and with it the risk of fraudulent activity.
Within those statistics are many examples of animals suffering unnecessarily. One young dog, Maisie, was found by the RSPCA, malnourished and underweight. They believe her ears had been cropped and tail docked (cut off to the base) before coming to the UK and ultimately abandoned. Another victim, a heavily pregnant Maltese seized in the last 10% gestation period of pregnancy and illegally transported. She arrived in a bad condition with Dogs Trust and tested positive for Leishmania, a potentially zoonotic disease, of which there is no cure. There is also Chewie, one of 11 puppies found in cramped and dirty conditions in the back of a van – believed to be illegally trafficked from abroad. While he pulled through with care from the RSPCA, six of Chewie’s siblings tragically died and Chewie still suffers from trauma.
While there are some breeders worried about banning dogs under the age of 6-months from being imported, all agree that dogs should not be bred from until they are at least one year old and this legislation aims to cut down on abuse to young animals. There are always concerns around the details when new law is being introduced and that’s exactly what the legislative process is designed to address.
As my bill progresses to the committee stage, I’ll be taking all ideas onboard, ensuring the legislation becomes the best it can be. We love our pets in the UK, and we have to ensure that pet owners can be confident that when they’re buying a dog, cat, or ferret – they will be getting a new family member who has not been the victim of animal abuse. This Bill represents a significant step forwards to safeguard animal welfare and I’m looking forward to working together with the sector and fellow MPs to advance it through Parliament.
It’s time to put an end to criminal animal abuse with this legislation
