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Wales consults on puppy and kitten welfare
Estimates suggest between 40,000 and 80,000 puppies and kittens are sold each year via third parties.
Possible ban on third party sales under consideration

The Welsh Government has launched a three-month consultation to explore the possibility of banning third party puppy and kitten sales.

Estimates suggest between 40,000 and 80,000 puppies and kittens are sold each year via third parties in Great Britain.

Government officials said there are concerns that commercial third party sales lead to poorer welfare conditions for animals, compared to when people buy from breeders.

The consultation aims to gather information on the supply chain of puppies and kittens, to identify areas where government intervention will be most effective.

Environment minister Lesley Griffiths said: “There is clear evidence that the sale of puppies and kittens via third parties has the potential to contribute to an increased risk of disease and a lack of socialisation and habituation for the puppies and kittens compared to when people buy directly from the breeder.
 
“The vast majority of those buying a new puppy or kitten do so with the best of intentions. However, it is not always immediately apparent to the buyer where their new pet originated, or in what conditions it was raised.

“This consultation is an opportunity to gather as much information as possible to enable us to make lasting improvements to the welfare of puppies and kittens bred in Wales. Banning commercial third party sales of puppies and kittens may only be one aspect of this.”

The minister urged anyone with an interest in animal welfare to share their views. The consultation will run from 19 February until 17 May.

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RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

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News Shorts
CVS Group hit by cyber attack

CVS Group, which owns more than 450 veterinary practices in the UK, has been hit by a cyber attack.

In a statement, the group said the incident involved unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. As soon as the attack was discovered, the group took its IT systems temporarily offline, causing 'considerable operational disruption'.

It has warned that the security steps taken and ongoing plans to move its operational systems and IT infrastructure to the Cloud are likely to have an ongoing impact over a number of weeks.

Due to the risk that personal information was accessed, CVS has informed the Information Commissioner's Office. The company is working with third party consultants to investigate the incident.