The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill was given its Third Reading in the House of Commons earlier this month.
The Bill will now progress to the House of Lords to complete the next steps before it hopefully becomes part of our laws very soon.
During the Pandemic, there was a 60% rise in the legal imports of dogs to the UK and there are indications that illegal imports also increased significantly. Dog’s Trust rescued more than 3,000 dogs linked to illegal imports between 2015 and 2023.
This bill is really important to a lot of people as it will:
Help to prevent pets being smuggled into the UK illegally
Criminal Gangs will often try to make money by importing large numbers of very young puppies and kittens into the country.
The Bill will reduce the number of animals that can be imported under per travel rules and raise the minimum age for puppies and kittens being imported into the UK from 15 weeks to 6 months. It will also ban the import of heavily pregnant animals.
Ban import and sale of animals with cropped ears
Ear cropping involves removing all or part of a dog’s ear flap. It has been illegal for over 20 years in England and Wales.
Help prevent some diseases that affect animals from being imported
By increasing the age from which animals can travel and preventing the import of heavily pregnant animals, the Bill will help to reduce the risk of some diseases from being accidently imported, including Brucella canis.
You can watch the full debate in the House of Commons here or read it here.
As the Bill progressed, many MPs took the opportunity to name check their pets and we learned that Johanna Baxter MP had two cats called Clement Catlee and Mo Meowlam!