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Around 29 per cent of companion animal vets surveyed in 2018 had seen puppies they were concerned had be brought into the country illegally.

Association responds to Government plans to consult on the welfare of imported dogs.

The BVA has welcomed new powers announced by the Government on Saturday (21 August) to clamp down on illegal puppy imports, ear cropping and tail docking.

The new measures, which have been set out for consultation, also include raising the minimum age for importing a puppy from 15 weeks to six months and banning the import of heavily pregnant dogs to help protect puppy and mother welfare.

It comes after a successful #CutTheCrop campaign, led by the BVA and the FOAL Group, magnified the call for immediate action to end the legal loopholes that enable the continuation of ear cropping.

Welcoming the consultation announcement, BVA senior vice president Daniella Dos Santos said: “We’re delighted that the Government has listened to concerns raised repeatedly by veterinary and animal welfare organisations and is acting decisively to clamp down on the evils of puppy smuggling, ear cropping and tail docking.

“We know that vets have been seeing more and more cases of ear cropping in practice, and the strength and depth of public support for the campaign clearly showed the need to clamp down on this completely unnecessary and painful mutilation.

“We are also pleased to see measures to regulate the import of dogs via both commercial and non-commercial pet travel routes. We have long raised concerns over how easy it is for organised criminals to bring puppies into the UK for sale by abusing the current controls and have called for stricter legislation.

“Raising the minimum age so they enter Great Britain at an age where they cannot be marketed as young puppies should have a real and lasting impact on this illegal trade.”

According to figures released by the BVA, some 58 per cent of small animal veterinary professionals have been presented with dogs with cropped ears in the last year. The most common breed with cropped ears presented to vets was the Doberman, followed by the American Bulldog and the Cane Corso in second and third, respectively.

Vets and animal welfare organisations have also repeatedly raised awareness of puppy smuggling - particularly during the pandemic, with the demand for puppies soaring. According to the BVA, around 29 per cent of companion animal vets surveyed in 2018 had seen puppies that they were concerned had been brought into the country illegally.

Launching the consultation, animal welfare minister Lord Zac Goldsmith said: “Puppy smuggling is a grim trade, and we are determined to clamp down on it. Raising the minimum import age for puppies will help protect thousands of animals that are brought into the country each year and stop criminals looking to profit from the rise in demand for pets.

“We already have one of the toughest pet travel border checking regimes in the world and as an independent nation outside the EU, we are going even further by preventing anyone from bringing in dogs which have undergone inhumane procedures such as ear cropping or tail docking.

“These new measures build on our plans to raise animal welfare standards across the board as part of our Action Plan for Animal Welfare.”

The consultation period will last for eight weeks, with responses from the public and stakeholders helping to inform future policy in this area. For more information, visit defra.gov.uk/pet-travel-and-imports-team/pet-travel/

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