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Government announces support for puppy smuggling bill
“By taking advantage of policy loopholes, criminals have been able to traffic vulnerable animals into the UK” – Danny Chambers.
The bill aims to improve welfare standards in the pet trade.

A new bill to tackle puppy smuggling looks likely to become law after it received government support.

The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, introduced to Parliament as a private members’ bill by MP and veterinary surgeon Danny Chambers, aims to introduce new restrictions on commercial imports of dogs, cats and ferrets.

The new rules will ban people from bringing dogs or cats into the UK that are younger than six months, more than 42 days pregnant, or have been mutilated (such as dogs with cropped ears).

The legislation will also make it harder for traders to import animals by pretending they are travelling with their own pets. According to government data, the number of non-commercial movements of pets has grown from 100,000 in 2011 to more than 320,000 in 2023.

With government support, the bill passed its second reading on Friday, 29 November and will now enter the committee stage. Similar legislation had been introduced to Parliament during the last government, but was not passed in time before this year’s general election.

Dr Chambers said: “By taking advantage of policy loopholes, criminals have been able to traffic vulnerable animals into the UK. This gap in the system has caused the suffering of thousands of innocent animals.

“As a vet, I think it is time we close this loophole, stop it from being exploited by organised criminals, and put an end to this cruel trade once and for all.”

The bill has also received support from animal welfare organisations, including the RSPCA and Dogs Trust.

Owen Sharp, CEO of Dogs Trust, said: “We have come close to putting an end to this cruel trade with multiple bills proposed to tackle this issue in previous years, sadly none of them have made it onto the statute books.

“We hope that this time will be different, and we can finally end puppy smuggling.”

Image © Shutterstock

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FIVP Practice Matters podcast returns for Series 2

News Story 1
 The Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices (FIVP) has announced that its podcast, FIVP Practice Matters, will be returning for a second series next year.

The bi-weekly podcast will return on Tuesday, 14 January 2025 with an episode on sustainability with Alison Lambert. The second series will include a range of new and familiar guests sharing veterinary initiatives and news from independent practices.

The podcast is available on Spotify and will now also be released on Apple Podcasts. More details about FIVP and the podcast can be found on its website

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Further cases of H5N1 confirmed in Norfolk

APHA has officially confirmed that two more cases of H5N1 have been found on premises in Norfolk.

Testing confirmed that highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was present at premises near Attleborough, as well as premises near Hingham in South Norfolk. The case near Hingham follows a slaughter on suspicion which was declared on 23 December.

A 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone have been implemented at each premises, and all the poultry on each premises will be humanely culled.

A third case has also been identified near Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire.

APHA is reminding bird keepers to remain vigilant and follow biosecurity measures to prevent more outbreaks. Details on the current disease control zones and biosecurity guidance can be found on the APHA website.