Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border and the only vet in the House of Commons, took part in a parliamentary evidence-gathering visit to a Dogs Trust facility while investigating pet welfare and abuse.
Alongside colleagues from the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee Dr Hudson quizzed animal welfare experts on puppy and dog smuggling and how the charity is fighting back against this cruel industry. The pandemic saw a huge spike in illicit imports and animal campaigners have said this only represents unscrupulous smugglers who were caught, and the presence of imported dogs in the general population shows many more have evaded authorities.
Many of these puppies are kept in awful conditions with no care for their welfare. Imported animals can pose a biosecurity risk with reports in the UK of the zoonotic disease Brucella canis .
As well as hearing from vets, government officials and charity leaders, MPs also met dogs that had been rescued and adopted, seeing first-hand the good being done by Dogs Trust.
The trip was part of the EFRA Committee’s Official Inquiry into Pet Welfare and Abuse. Dr Hudson triggered this Inquiry, with his expertise in the field, to consider health and welfare concerns of companion animals.
EFRA MPs will scrutinise the Government’s response to a range of issues including puppy and dog smuggling, animal mutilation such as cat declawing and dog ear cropping, and the illegal exportation of horses for slaughter. A report will then be produced, with recommendations sent to DEFRA.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, and veterinary surgeon, said:
“It’s been a long-standing campaign of mine to tackle the abhorrent puppy and dog smuggling trade that grew significantly due to pandemic demand for pets and that has remained stubbornly strong. Puppies, heavily pregnant dogs and dogs that have had their ears cruelly mutilated are being smuggled into the UK in alarming numbers by people with no regard to these poor dogs’ welfare.
“Already, I have received support from 63 parliamentarians when leading a letter to DEFRA, led a roundtable with travel industry experts about how private sector can support the Government, and raised the issue with MPs in numerous debates.
“Now, with EFRA colleagues and with powers to produce a report to Government, I hope the tide is now turning.
“In the meantime, I would again urge the Government to bring back the Kept Animals Bill that would tackle many of these critical animal health and welfare issues.
“As a vet I am committed to giving a voice to the voiceless so I will continue to work hard for animal lovers and their pets and animals.”
The trip was a fact-finding exercise so Government can make evidence-based decisions. While the focus is partly on puppy smuggling, other issues include:
- Unscrupulous breeding of dogs with extreme physical traits.
- The importation of animals, including heavily pregnant dogs
- Unregulated ‘canine fertility clinics’.
- The importation of mutilated animals such as dogs with cropped ears.
- Challenges of keeping pets amid increasing cost of living pressures.
- Pressures on the veterinary sector, including infectious disease introduction.
As a Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Hudson has a strong relationship with Dogs Trust, having co-hosted a parliamentary roundtable to crack down on puppy smuggling, authored a letter alongside the group signed by 63 parliamentarians on the same issue, and campaigned together on banning electric shock collars, bringing back the Kept Animals Bill to Parliament and even protecting animals from fireworks trauma.
The Dogs Trust began as the National Canine Defence League in 1891 campaigning against cruelty to dogs and for better dog welfare. It became the Dogs Trust in 2003 and is currently the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, caring for around 14,000 dogs across a network of 24 rescue and Rehoming Centres in the UK.
