Department

for Environment
Food &Rural Affairs
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1 P 3J R
T 03459 335577
helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk
www.gov.uk/defra
J ames Brokenshire MP
House of Commons
London
SW1AOAA
'') SEP 2 014
Your ref: ZA3487
Our ref: MC35'682 0/SC
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I)-September 2 014
From Lord de Mauley
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science
Dear J ames,
Thank you for your letter of 2 7 August to the Secretary of State on behalf of your
constituent, Mrs Froggatt, about the breeding and sale of puppies. I am replying as the
Minister responsible for this policy area.
Parliament recently debated an e-petition on the regulation of the sale of puppies and
kittens and my colleague George Eustice, the Defra Animal Welfare Minister, responded for
the Government on the issues raised.
From the debate it was clear that the Government did not see the need for an automatic ban
on all pet shops selling puppies or kittens. As was pointed out in the debate, local
authorities are required to license pet shops and through the licensing system can ensure
that animal welfare standards are being applied. Local authorities are also responsible for
licensing dog breeding establishments, and we will write to them giving guidance to clarify
their powers on both these issues.
One of the key issues for the Government is the ease with which it is possible to buy a pet
on the internet. As part of our approach to addressing this issue, we have been working
with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group and other interested parties, to put in place a
voluntary code. As a result, more than 100,000 inappropriate advertisements have been
removed from pet-related internet sites since the beginning of the year. We commend the
work done by the internet companies that acted so responsibly, and the efforts of the
volunteers who took part in monitoring the internet for that purpose. This important work will
continue.
Another key concern relates to the import of pets. Having looked into this, we are confident
that we operate a robust checking regime to make sure that pets entering Great Britain are
compliant with the EU pet travel scheme.
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Carriers must be first approved by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency
(AHVLA). The carriers must demonstrate that they have appropriate facilities to be able to
check every pet presented to them and that their staff are appropriately trained. We are
aware that some unscrupulous traders may try to disguise commercial movements of pets
as non-commercial movements. Importing puppies under the EU pet travel scheme with
the express intention of selling them upon arrival in the UK is an abuse of the scheme.
Defra is working closely with the AHVLA and local authorities to crack down on this illegal
trade and prosecute those taking part.
Also a focus of concern is the five-litter threshold referred to in the legislation. Anyone who
operates a business of breeding and selling puppies must have a licence, irrespective of the
numbers of litters produced. Furthermore, a licence is required if more than five litters are
produced in a year, whether the breeder is in the business of breeding and selling puppies
or not. We will write to local authorities, who are responsible for enforcing the law, giving
guidance that will clarify this aspect of the legislation.
We encourage anyone thinking of acquiring a puppy to make sure they know what they
need to do to meet the welfare needs of their dog, and to obtain the dog from a reputable
source. We agree that people should see the puppy interacting with its mother before
agreeing to buy it, as advocated by welfare charities.
I am always open to hearing problems with, or perceived gaps in the law, but overall I
believe that the framework of legislation, the combination of the dog breeding laws and the
Animal Welfare Act 2 006 provide a workable legal armoury against irresponsible dog
breeding and sales.
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