The government has thrown its weight behind a bill to crack down on puppy smuggling as part of a commitment to strengthening animal welfare.
Ministers announced on Friday that they were supporting a private member’s bill sponsored by Danny Chambers, a Liberal Democrat MP and veterinary surgeon, to crack down on the pet-smuggling trade.
The move is intended to deliver on a Labour manifesto pledge to tackle puppy smuggling by closing loopholes in the law that are exploited by unscrupulous traders.
The bill will give the government powers to ban the import of puppies and kittens less than six months old, and dogs and cats that are mutilated or heavily pregnant.
The animal welfare (import of dogs, cats and ferrets) bill will also make it more difficult and less profitable for traders to fraudulently import animals for sale by passing them off as pets travelling with their owners.
The number of pets involved in “non-commercial” moves to the UK rose from 100,000 in 2011 to more than 320,000 in 2023, triggering fears of fraudulent activity.
Previous governments have sought to strengthen protections in the past but met obstacles. An animal welfare bill championed by Boris Johnson’s government that would have imposed curbs on puppy imports was shelved in 2023.
Sue Hayman, a Labour peer and the animal welfare minister, said: “The smuggling of pets is an appalling trade with no place in our society, a nation of animal lovers. We promised safer streets and we will stop these horrific criminals profiting from cruelty.
“This important legislation is the first step in achieving our manifesto commitment to deliver the biggest boost in animal welfare in a generation.”
Chambers said: “As a vet, I’ve treated many dogs with cruelly cropped ears or docked tails leaving them physically scarred and emotionally traumatised. There is no excuse for these mutilations in the 21st century.
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“But this bill is about more than animal welfare. We’re also protecting public health because dogs that have been smuggled into the UK could be carrying terrifying diseases that affect humans, such as rabies.”
Owen Sharp, the chief executive of Dogs Trust, said the charity was “delighted” by the move.
“Dogs Trust have been campaigning for over 10 years to end the suffering of countless numbers of dogs caught up in this abhorrent trade, and we hope this marks a real step forward for dog welfare in the UK,” he said.
“We have come close to putting an end to this cruel trade with multiple bills proposed to tackle this issue in previous years. Sadly none of them have made it on to the statute books. We hope that this time will be different, and we can finally end puppy smuggling.”