Voters demand puppy smuggling crackdown after Tories scrap new law

14 June 2023 , 23:01

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Campaigners want a crackdown on puppy smuggling (Image: Dogs Trust)

Four out of five voters want the Tories to crackdown on puppy smuggling after they ditched a key animal welfare plan.

Ministers scrapped the flagship Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill but claimed parts of the legislation would be introduced separately.

But a YouGov poll for the Dogs Trust charity found 83% of those quizzed thought the Government should clamp down on puppy smuggling - and 79% backed a ban on the importation of heavily pregnant dogs.

Campaigners say it is “a widely-used tactic of smugglers, who transport expectant mums often in horrific conditions across long distances to give a veneer of legitimacy when buyers ask to see a pup’s mother, whilst passing the pups off as UK-bred”.

Dogs Trust veterinary director Paula Boyden said: “This has gone on long enough - while the Government prevaricates, dogs are suffering in most dreadful ways.

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Rishi Sunak pictured with wife Akshata Murty and their pet Labrador Nova, ditched the plan despite being a dog-lover (SIMON DAWSON/No10/UNPIXS)

“The Government must listen, do what the public is demanding and table urgently-needed legislation to tackle the scourge of puppy smuggling and other abhorrent practices.

“To not do so is failing to deliver on a manifesto promise and allowing horrific pet abuses to continue.”

The charity said it was “deeply disappointed” the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill - first introduced to Parliament in June 2021 - was being axed.

The Mirror scored a victory In April 2020 when Lucy’s Law came into force - ending the horrors of cruel puppy farms.

The legislation made it illegal for third party dealers, such as pet shops and online traders, to sell puppies.

The campaign for the law was founded by vet Marc Abraham – a past winner of a Mirror Animal Hero Award – and named after a Cavalier King Charles spaniel who was rescued after years of abuse on a puppy farm.

YouGov polled 2,138 adults online last month.

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Ben Glaze