UK Cracksdown on Puppy Smuggling By limiting Dog Imports

Under the United Kingdom government’s proposed new welfare requirements, the importation of pups under the age of six months into the UK might be prohibited.

The fight against the “grim trade” of puppy smuggling will save puppies from being removed from their mothers too soon, putting them in danger of sickness and death, according to the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. They can presently be imported from the age of 15 weeks.

Importing dogs with surgically clipped ears or docked tails, as well as highly pregnant canines, would be prohibited.

According to the RSPCA, reports of ear cropping, a technique prohibited in the UK since 2006, have increased more than sevenfold in the last five years. The majority of the afflicted canines are assumed to have had grueling treatment in another country.

Last year, 843 pups were confiscated at the border among the approximately 66,000 canines brought into the UK, increasing 324 in 2019.

In one example, four eight-week-old beagle pups were discovered starving and dehydrated in the back of an abandoned car in London, suspected of being illegally smuggled into the UK from Ireland.

In another incident, six newborn pups were captured at the port of Dover after being trafficked from Romania.

The Covid epidemic and lockdowns appear to have fueled a significant increase in demand for pups in the UK, resulting in rising costs, an increase in unethical black-market breeding, and poor animal health.

Statement from the animal welfare minister, Zac Goldsmith:

“Puppy smuggling is a grim trade, and we are determined to clamp down on it. Raising the minimum import age for puppies will help protect thousands of animals that are brought into the country each year and stop criminals looking to profit from the rise in demand for pets.”

Source: BBC