Paw patrol: Britain vows to end puppy farming

LONDON - Britain prides itself on being a nation of dog lovers, but has a cruel practice the government wants to eradicate – puppy farms.

The Labour administration on Dec 21 announced sweeping reforms designed to improve the welfare of the country’s pets and other animals.

They include ending the so-called farming of puppies, where dogs are bred on a large-scale in cramped conditions, chiefly for profit.

“These inhumane practices often result in puppies suffering from long-term health issues,” the environment, food and rural affairs ministry said in a statement.

According to the vet charity PDSA, in 2024 there were some 10.6 million pet dogs in the UK, which has a population of around 69 million.

Dog breeding is regulated – anyone in England breeding and selling three or more litters of puppies in a year is required by law to have a licence.

Estimating the number of puppy farms in Britain is difficult because they are largely unlicenced and operate in the shadows, animal rights charities say.

The British Veterinary Association estimates that about one in four pet owners, or five million people, admit to doing no research before buying an animal.

Charities worry that means people are unwittingly buying man’s best friend from puppy farms, where they say pups are often overbred and removed from their mother at too young an age.

Farming ‘scourge’

“Tackling the scourge of puppy farming” can help the government “significantly reduce animal suffering in the UK”, Ms Sonul Badiani-Hamment, country director for the animal welfare organisation Four Paws, said in a statement.

The plans also include consideration of new licences for rescue and rehoming organisations and the possible ban of electric shock collars for pets.

The proposals – part of the government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, which it hopes to implement by the end of 2030 – come after it passed a law earlier in December designed to stop puppy smuggling.

The legislation limited pet traders to five animals per vehicle and banned the import of cats and dogs under six months old.

The new plans also seek to outlaw trail hunting, which has remained legal since fox hunting was banned in 2004.

It mimics a traditional fox hunt and involves dogs following a pre-laid animal-based scent such as fox urine while a group of hunters on horses follows the pack.

The government said it believes the practice is being used as a “smokescreen” for chasing and killing wild animals. AFP