Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill

Earl of Courtown Excerpts

Friday 5th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Courtown (Con)]

My Lords, I support the Bill wholeheartedly and congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Trees, on introducing this excellent legislation to this House. On many occasions, this subject has been raised in Private Members’ Bills. I hope that this time we will get it through.

This is about raising concerns on the legal and illegal puppy trade, the age at and distressing conditions in which animals are transported, and the very real threat of dog-to-dog and dog-to-human disease. The current rules remain worryingly vulnerable to abuse. Puppies and kittens are still being imported far too young, legally and illegally, often in appalling conditions and too often with falsified or unsatisfactory health documentation. These animals and their parents continue to suffer greatly, and the unsuspecting families who purchase them are left heartbroken when the animals fall ill or die prematurely. The Bill seeks to tackle those harms by restricting the import of puppies and kittens under six months of age, by prohibiting the importation of heavily pregnant animals and by clamping down on the cruel practice of cropping dogs’ ears or docking their tails abroad only to sell them here, as mentioned by many noble Lords.

The Bill also closes loopholes in the pet travel scheme which have been exploited by unscrupulous traders masquerading as private owners. I also wish to raise awareness of the new documentary, “Dogspiracy”, which highlights commercial dog breeding in the USA and follows Dr Marc Abraham OBE, an English vet, as he seeks to stop the cruel puppy mill industry, end puppy smuggling and ban US pet stores from selling puppies. Marc is the founder of the successful “Lucy’s law” campaign to ban third-party commercial puppy dealing, thus making all breeders accountable, and he provides the secretariat for the All-Party Dog Advisory Welfare Group, of which I am proud to be an officer.

The Bill is not just about protecting animals but protecting the public. As mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord de Clifford, rabies, brucellosis, tapeworm and several other serious diseases remain ever-present risks. By strengthening import rules and improving enforcement, the Bill reduces the chance of devastating outbreaks, thereby safeguarding human health and the health of our domestic pet population.

The noble Lord, Lord de Clifford, mentioned the movement of young puppies from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. Under the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland continues to follow elements of EU law on pet travel. That creates a serious loophole. The 2019 amendment to the 2018 regulations permits breeders to sell puppies under a pet sales licence, rather than a breeder’s licence, if the dog was bred overseas. This enables breeding to take place in facilities that can evade scrutiny and provide no guarantee of meeting English licensing standards. Therefore, young puppies bred in large numbers in Northern Ireland can be legally moved into Great Britain and sold legally in pet shops without having been seen with their mother.

The 2019 regulations mean that there are now two distinct sets of standards for puppies sold in England, depending on whether they are bred here or abroad. Under the former, strict scrutiny of the breeding premises is required and the puppy can be sold only from the place of birth and in the presence of the mother—Lucy’s law. Under the latter, these important protections are absent, with all the potential for negative consequences on puppy welfare and socialisation and on human and puppy health. This loophole needs closing as soon as possible.

In closing, can the Minister tell the House how the Bill will interact with the Windsor Framework? What steps will the Government take to ensure that the route from Northern Ireland to Great Britain does not remain a weak link in our efforts to curb the inappropriate legal and cruel illegal puppy trade?

I should finally give mention to Jeanie, a rescue Scottish terrier who died recently, sadly. As other noble Lords have said, when people get pets they must look at taking a rescue dog as an option—a very good option.