Pawlitical Pawlicies 2020
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Pawlitical Pawlicies 2020 1 Dogs Trust Pawlicy Priorities Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity. We have been caring for dogs in need for more than 125 years. In the last year we cared for approximately 14,300 stray and abandoned dogs through our network of 20 rehoming centres across the UK and one in Ireland. Our mission, to bring about the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction, is our guiding principle. Since Dogs Trust was founded in 1891 (formerly National Canine Defence League) we have always campaigned on dog welfare issues. We invest substantial resources in education programmes, information services, community outreach, and education on responsible dog ownership, including our Dog School training classes. Dogs Trust also has an in-house research team to ensure that all our policy positions are evidence-based, and we are doing the best we can for all dogs in our care and beyond. The health and happiness of every dog is at the heart of all our work, which is why we never put a healthy dog down. 2 3 Puppy Smuggling Dogs Trust has been exposing the failures of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) since 2014. Our investigative work in this field has found evidence of: • Breeders and dealers in Central and Eastern Europe using PETS for the illegal importation of puppies into Great Britain for sale; • Unscrupulous vets falsifying data on pet passports; • Vets in Serbia (a third county) providing pre-filled Hungarian and Bulgarian passports and microchips for underage puppies, passing them off as EU-bred animals; • Vets in Lithuania offering to sedate puppies to smuggle them across the border; • An increasing trend of heavily pregnant female dogs being illegally brought into the UK to allow dealers to dupe buyers into thinking they are buying ‘UK bred’ puppies; • Ineffective border controls and enforcement of PETS at UK ports; • Lack of sufficient penalties to deter the illegal trade; • Puppies as young as 4 weeks entering the UK when the legal minimum age to travel via PETS is 15 weeks. In December 2015, we launched our pilot quarantine initiative, which aims to disrupt the trade by providing care and support for illegally imported puppies. Until Dogs Trust stepped in, illegally imported puppies were at risk of being put to sleep or turned away at the borders only to enter the country at another time instead. Puppies seized under the initiative are quarantined, socialised and habituated, and then rehomed responsibly through our network of rehoming centres. Since December 2015 nearly 1,050 puppies have been rehomed by Dogs Trust. The majority of these puppies were deemed to be underage and thus seized, however some were born in Dogs Trust care after their heavily pregnant mums were travelled illegally in the late stages of pregnancy. To date we have cared for 17 mums and their subsequent pups. Sadly, as a result of the journeys many of the puppies have endured, around 4% of the puppies on the pilot scheme died before we were able to rehome them due to poor health, malnutrition and dehydration. In 2016 Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government consulted on the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011, which implements EU legislation on pet travel into domestic legislation. However, clear proposals to tackle the abuse of this legislation have 4 5 not been forthcoming. We have long called for the implementation of immediate actions that could be taken to begin to tackle the trade more effectively. Better enforcement of the legislation is urgently needed, including shifting the enforcement of PETs from the carriers (i.e. ferry companies and Eurotunnel) to Government agencies. Dog Breeding and Sale In October 2018 the Animal Welfare (Licensing EU exit also provides scope to review the legislation governing pet travel. of Activities Involving Animals) (England) We strongly believe that the legal requirements and implementation of Regulations 2018 came into effect, introducing this EU legislation in the UK should be reviewed and amended. These a single animal establishment licence for dog amendments should include: breeding and selling. • The requirement for a rabies antibody titration blood test to be Dogs Trust welcomed the move to update what was outdated legislation. reintroduced, together with a wait period post blood test equivalent to However, we are concerned that the Regulations do not go far enough to the incubation of rabies. Such a wait period would increase the age at sufficiently protect dog welfare. which dogs can enter the country to around 6 months old; • The window for tapeworm treatment of dogs before entry into Great We believe an improved, robust licensing system is required to tackle Britain to be shortened from 24 - 120 hours to 24 - 48 hours and unscrupulous breeders and sellers. Whilst the Regulations reduced the tapeworm treatment for cats should be reintroduced. The shorter the threshold for licensing of dog breeders from five to three or more litters in a window the less chance of reinfection before travel; year, we believe only a system that has total traceability can be fully effective. • Reintroduction of the requirement for dogs and cats to be treated We believe that anyone breeding, selling or transferring the ownership of against ticks; a puppy (a dog up to 6 months old), regardless of any financial transaction • Reduction of the number of dogs allowed as a non-commercial or gain, should be required to be registered. In addition to this, anyone movement from the current 5 dogs per person travelling. breeding, selling or transferring the ownership, regardless of any financial transaction or gain, of more than one litter of puppies should require We are also concerned about the effectiveness of the Balai Directive, which a licence. It should then be a mandatory requirement for any advert to governs the movement of animals for commercial purposes. We have serious include the individual’s unique registration or licence number. concerns that there is a lack of checks at the ports, as checks take place at the point of destination. Currently the Animal Health and Plant Agency In May 2019 an amendment to the Regulations was introduced. It brought (APHA) only conduct post import checks on less than 10% of consignments. forward a ban on the third party selling of puppies and kittens, due to It is clear there is not only potential for cases of illegal importations to be come into force in April 2020. missed, but when checks are only being conducted on fewer than 10% of consignments there is significant scope for abuse of this system. We urge all The welfare of our nation’s dogs is our highest priority and Dogs Trust wants of the recommendations that we have proposed for addressing the abuse to see an end to third party sales including the sale of puppies in pet shops. of PETS are also implemented for commercial movements to further tackle As this is a complex issue, we believe an end to third party sales can best be the illegal trade of puppies. achieved if a comprehensive package of coordinated measures is introduced, so we can be confident that it will have the success we all want to see. Dogs Trust calls for an immediate action plan to address the abuse of PETS and the number of dogs illegally entering Great Britain every day. The UK’s pet travel rules are regulated by EU legislation, we also call for pet travel legislation to be amended on exit from the EU. 6 7 The additional measures we would like to see include: • Rehoming organisations and sanctuaries to be regulated through licensing and inspection. Currently anyone can set themselves up as one which leaves a significant loophole for immoral breeders and sellers to continue their trade, even with a ban; • Full traceability and transparency by registering anyone who is selling a litter, along with licensing and inspection for those producing more than one litter; • Vital training and support for Local Authority inspectors to enforce the right breeding standards; • Urgent changes to the Pet Travel Scheme to stem the flow of illegally imported puppies into Great Britain along with harsher penalties given to these unscrupulous breeders and traders. The current penalties are simply no deterrent. The enforcement of the legislation on breeding or selling puppies must be robust and consistent and carried out by someone fully trained in animal welfare. Before this can happen, inspectors must have the full support of both the Government and their Local Authority to enforce the right standards. Dogs Trust calls for the introduction of a robust system of registration and licensing of dog breeding to provide full transparency and traceability of this ever-growing trade. 8 9 Advertising Dogs Trust chairs the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) which was created in 2001 to combat growing concerns regarding the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming, and exchange. Since its formation PAAG has witnessed a significant increase in the number of pets and animals advertised for sale online. PAAG’s work has been endorsed by Defra, DAERA in Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government. PAAG has created a set of Minimum Standards, which several of the UK’s largest classified advertising websites have agreed to meet. Unfortunately, whilst the standards are voluntary there is a limit to their impact as not all websites are willing to adopt them. We are pleased that it is now a legal requirement for licensed pet dog sellers in England to display their licence number on all adverts, which Licensing of Rehoming Organisations and Sanctuaries came into force in October 2018, along with some of the other PAAG Dogs Trust has been calling for regulation of rehoming organisations and Minimum Standards becoming a legal requirement for licensed sellers.