Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the she is taking to help support the rescue and rehoming of mutilated animals.

The Government recognises the essential service that rescue and rehoming centres provide, often on a voluntary basis, to animals, including those that have suffered from mutilation.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is illegal to carry out a non-exempted mutilation such as the cropping of a dog’s ears in England and Wales unless specifically exempted for medical reasons. While these practices are illegal in the UK, we recognise that the current legislative framework can be abused by traders who import these dogs from abroad.

The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 Act will give the Government powers to prohibit dogs and cats being brought into Great Britain with non-exempted mutilations, such as docked tails and cropped ears.

Any appropriate exemptions to these prohibitions will be delivered via secondary legislation at a later date. In the meantime, the Government will continue to work with stakeholders including rescue organisations and consider their feedback.