LONDON: A new bill aimed at stopping animal smuggling and cruelty has passed the UK House of Commons with cross-party support. The legislation, introduced by Liberal Democrat MP Danny Chambers, seeks to reduce the number of animals entering the UK for non-commercial purposes while banning the import of puppies and kittens under six months old and heavily pregnant dogs and cats.
The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill also prohibits the import of pets that have undergone mutilation, such as ear cropping. The bill, backed by the government, will now move to the House of Lords for further approval before becoming law.
Chambers, a veterinarian, highlighted the cruelty of puppy smuggling, stating, “It’s unimaginably cruel to separate puppies and kittens from their mothers at a very young age, and then bring them across borders in substandard conditions where they’re then sold for maximum profit by unscrupulous traders who prioritise profit over welfare.”
The bill includes measures to ensure only pet owners, not third parties, can declare the non-commercial movement of animals. It also mandates the government to enforce three key bans: on importing young pets, heavily pregnant animals, and mutilated dogs and cats.
Chambers criticised social media for fuelling demand for dogs with cropped ears, saying, “Many people aren’t aware that this is a mutilation. They think it’s how the dogs’ ears normally look, and it drives a demand for dogs that look like this.”
Labour MP Peter Lamb called out Meta, Facebook’s parent company, for hosting content featuring animal abuse. He said, “We cannot rest on our laurels and Meta must be made to answer for the fact that they are not acting to bring an end to animal abuse on their networks.”
Environment minister Emma Hardy welcomed the bill, calling it a “crucial step forward” in tackling pet smuggling. She added, “We want to see fewer low-welfare operations supply pets to the GB market and fundamentally less animals to suffer because of this.” - Reuters
