Local Council’s have responsibility for licensing dog breeders and ensuring puppies are bred in safe and healthy conditions.
Illegal puppy farms – in which large numbers of litters are bred in poor conditions without proper monitoring – continue to be used throughout the UK. It is estimated that 400,000 farmed puppies are brought each year.
In May 2023, the Conservative Government also broke their election promise to introduce new legislation (known as the Kept Animals Bill) to crack down on illegal puppy farming and smuggling practices.
Below is a template council motion you can use to call on your council to do more to inform residents off puppy farming and how to be sure they are buying puppies from reputable breeders.
A full Campaign Pack including Drop-In Articles, Social Media Graphics, Press Releases and Blog Articles can be found on the link below:
The motion can be copied below:
Council believes Puppy Farms – in which dogs are bred purely for profit with little concern for their welfare – are cruel and inhumane. They are often run illegally without the correct licensing and monitoring from the local council.
Dogs on puppy farms are more likely to be over-bred, kept in poor conditions and not receive adequate food or vet care. Research from the Naturewatch Foundation estimates that 400,000 farmed puppies are brought every year in the UK.
Council fully supports efforts to crack down on illegal puppy farms, such as the introduction of ‘Lucy’s Law in 2020’ banning the third-party sale of puppies in the first 6 months of their life. Council therefore condemns the Conservative Government’s decision in May 2023 to break its promise to introduce a ‘Kept Animals Bill’ to add further protections to prevent dogs from being exploited on puppy farms.
Council recognises the legal role it has to provide licenses to all dog breeders who sell puppies for a profit. Council further believes it can help make sure those wishing to buy puppies do so from reputable, licensed breeders.
Council therefore resolves to;
- Publish an up to date list of locally licensed dog breeders on its website so local residents who wish to buy a puppy are signposted to reputable breeders.
- Undertake a dedicated publicity campaign to raise awareness of illegal puppy breeding and signs to look for when buying a puppy that suggest it might come from a puppy farm, and how to report suspicious activity.
- Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs calling for the Kept Animals Bill to be revived to make it more difficult for puppy farmers and strugglers to operate.
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