PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Dogs: Animal Breeding (27 January 2023)
Question Asked
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to protect dogs from unregulated breeding clinics.
Asked by:
Darren Jones (Labour)
Asked by:
Darren Jones (Labour)
Answer
Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations), anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. All dog breeders, including canine fertility clinics who do not meet the threshold for licensing under the 2018 Regulations, are obliged under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to protect their animals from suffering and provide for their welfare needs in line with best practice. A breach of these provisions may lead to imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Answered by:
Rebecca Pow (Conservative)
3 February 2023
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