Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest, has reaffirmed his commitment to combating the cruel puppy smuggling trade at a recent parliamentary event organised by Dogs Trust, the UK’s leading dog welfare charity. The event, held in the House of Commons, aimed to rally parliamentary support for legislative measures against this inhumane practice. It comes as The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill which Dr Hudson is Co-sponsoring is due to have its 2nd reading on 29 November.
Puppy and dog smuggling involves transporting dogs in appalling conditions into the UK for profit. These animals often endure filthy environments without food or water and suffer from diseases, illegal ear cropping, or are transported while heavily pregnant or too young.
As the first vet elected to the House of Commons since 1884, Dr Hudson has been a staunch advocate for stricter regulations. He has collaborated with Dogs Trust throughout the last Parliament and hosted a roundtable with animal welfare experts earlier this year to address this issue.
The veterinary MP spoke to Dogs Trust about the charity’s pioneering Puppy Pilot scheme, which was introduced in 2015 to aid the interception of illegally imported puppies and provide care and rehabilitation for them until they find loving new homes. Since its inception, Dogs Trust has cared for over 3,000 illegally imported puppies, which, if sold to unsuspecting members of the public, would have made over £4.5 million for their illegal importers.
Dogs Trust is urging the government to implement several measures to curb puppy smuggling:
- Increasing the age at which puppies can be imported to 6 months.
- Banning the non-commercial transport of pregnant dogs in the last 30% (more than 42 days pregnant) of their gestation period as a minimum.
- Introducing a complete ban on the commercial movement of pregnant dogs.
- Introducing a ban on the importation and sale of dogs with mutilations such as cropped ears and tails docked for cosmetic reasons.
- Bringing in tougher penalties for smuggling puppies to deter deceitful sellers.
- Reducing the number of pets that can be brought into the country via the Pet Travel Scheme to three per vehicle.
Speaking afterwards, Dr Hudson said:
“Having campaigned on this issue for many years, I am delighted to support Dogs Trust in their mission to end puppy smuggling.
As a veterinary surgeon, I recognise the damage this cruel and immoral trade has on animals. I hope to see much needed legislation that I am co-sponsoring in Parliament tackle this important issue which prioritises the health and welfare of dogs, and increase tougher penalties, very soon.”
Owen Sharp, CEO of Dogs Trust, said:
“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to raise awareness of puppy smuggling with MPs and speak to them about how loopholes in legislation allow this awful trade to continue. We hope that with their support, these loopholes will soon be closed. At Dogs Trust we have been campaigning for over a decade to end the suffering of countless number of dogs, and we hope that with the support of MPs from across parliament, we can finally end puppy smuggling and take a real step forward for dog welfare in the UK.”
To find out more about Dogs Trust’s work to end puppy smuggling visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/puppysmuggling.
For more information on Dr Hudson’s work to end this trade, please see:
