Maria Caulfield, Member of Parliament for Lewes, has backed animal welfare charities by showing support for new Bill which will tackle illegal puppy smuggling and stop dogs with cropped ears and declawed cats from being imported into the country.
A drop-in event was held at Parliament on Monday (4 March) by a coalition of charities - Battersea dogs and cats home, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust, FOUR PAWS UK and RSPCA - ahead of the second reading, on 15 March, of the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill.
The Bill, introduced as a Private Members Bill by Selaine Saxby MP, will introduce specific restrictions around the importation and movement (both commercial and non-commercial) of dogs, cats and ferrets into the country.
It is hoped that the Bill will introduce a number of restrictions including banning the importation of cats who have been declawed and dogs whose ears have been brutally cropped for aesthetic reasons. These are both painful and wholly unnecessary procedures that are already illegal in the UK - but remain legal in other parts of the world - and can have lifelong implications for the animals.
By closing this loophole and blocking the importation of animals who have already had these procedures carried out, more animals will be protected from this unnecessary suffering, and this cruelty will prevent this abhorrent practice becoming normalised.
The Bill will also increase the minimum age that puppies and kittens can be imported into the country - to six months - and limit the number of animals that can be imported in a single vehicle. It will also prohibit the importation of dogs and cats in the later stages of pregnancy.
Commenting, Maria Caulfield MP said:
“I was very pleased to show my support for this bill, this government has a tremendous record on animal welfare, including banning the export of live animals for slaughter. This new bill will now deal with imports and is an important step in the UK being a world leader in animal welfare.”