3 days ago
Dog breeding ‘red tape' opening door to rogue sellers, says Kennel Club
Responsible dog breeders are caught up in red tape which is opening the door to rogue puppy sellers, the Kennel Club has warned.
Expensive licences and bureaucracy introduced in recent years are discouraging many small-scale breeders, with the cost of a litter nearly always outstripping the income, the organisation said in a new report.
It has created a market void that is being exploited by puppy farmers and rogue sellers who breed for profit without regard for health or welfare, the report added.
Research by the organisation has found that more than one in four UK dog owners may have bought their pet unknowingly from a puppy farm.
The Kennel Club is now calling for an urgent review of licensing regulations.
Holly Conway, its head of public affairs, said: 'As long as the licensing regime continues to operate as it is ... there remains a huge market for irresponsible breeders to profit from.'
A 2018 law stipulates that a dog breeding licence is required if someone breeds three or more litters in any 12-month period, and/or breeds dogs and advertises a business of selling dogs.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Kennel Club has revealed that small-scale breeders are being disproportionately affected by the licensing requirement.
Two-thirds of licences are being issued to low-volume home breeders, such as those breeding one to two litters a year, rather than commercial, large-scale breeders. And the costs of such licences vary hugely.
The report said the system was 'bureaucratic, costly, not applicable to small-scale breeders, and has become a postcode lottery depending on where a breeder resides'.
It added that the regulations were not effective in tackling rogue breeders, who do not come forward to their local authority for a licence.
'There are unscrupulous breeders, puppy farmers, and illegal importations, and as long as there remains a market for poorly bred puppies with health and welfare issues, this creates several problems for the responsible home breeding community,' the report went on.
The Kennel Club is urging the Government to consider a tiered approach to breeding regulations.
It has also called for the implementation of a mentoring programme in which experienced breeders help those planning their first litter, and the introduction of mandatory puppy contracts for all breeders.
Ms Conway said: 'There are many reasons that responsible breeders choose to breed, including for the love of the breed and dogs overall, to continue a family line, to protect the population of vulnerable breeds, and to provide good quality and healthy examples of a breed.
'However, we are hearing all too often how these small-scale breeders are unable to continue because of the costs and obstacles involved.
'It is crucial for the long-term health and welfare of dogs that the high demand for puppies is met by responsible, loving, and high-welfare breeders, and we want to explore how these breeders, and others like them, can be encouraged to continue.'
