Britain is forbidding puppies and kittens from being sold by pet shops in a bid to crack down on animal exploitation and abuse.
Britain is forbidding puppies and kittens from being sold by pet shops in a bid to crack down on animal exploitation and abuse. Image: VILevi / Istock.com
The government said it will roll out the legislation next year after holding public consultations that showed 95 percent support for the ban.
鈥淭his will mean that anyone looking to buy or adopt a puppy or kitten under six months must either deal directly with the breeder or with an animal re-homing center,鈥� the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said on Sunday as part of its Christmas animal welfare push.
The measure is commonly called Lucy鈥檚 Law in honor of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that was rescued from a puppy farm in Wales in 2013.
Lucy, who died in 2016, spent most of her life in a cage and was unable to breed because of her lack of movement.
Activist Lisa Garner took her home and launched a social media awareness campaign that changed the way Britons get their pets.
The government said the new law would help 鈥渆nd the terrible welfare conditions found in puppy farming and solve a range of existing animal welfare issues.鈥�
鈥楻ight start in life鈥�
The government believes the ban will keep 鈥渉igh volume, low welfare breeders鈥� 鈥� both licensed and unlicensed 鈥� from flooding pet shops with puppies and kittens raised in unethical conditions.
Defra released no figures estimating how many sales the new legislation would affect.
But London鈥檚 Battersea Dogs Home chief Claire Horton said the rules will 鈥渕ake sure the nation鈥檚 much-loved pets get the right start in life.鈥�
Battersea has been the focus of several popular TV series about pet rescues and care that reflected Britons鈥� general affection for cats and dogs.
Britain鈥檚 People鈥檚 Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) veterinary charity said 49 percent of UK adults owned at least one pet in 2018.
PDSA鈥檚 estimated cat population of 11.1 million edged out the 8.9 million dogs and one million rabbits whose numbers have nearly halved since 2011.
The British government has unfurled a number of animal welfare initiatives in the past few months that activists hope other European countries will soon follow.
One law in October banned licensed shops from dealing in puppies and kittens under the age of eight weeks.
Defra is now looking at legislation requiring all non-commercial rescue and re-homing centers to have a license.
It separately urged families to steer clear of the temptation to buying their kids cute pets as Christmas gifts.
鈥淭his carries a number of risks and can have tragic consequences for animal welfare when pets are either abandoned or given to re-homing centers to deal with,鈥� Defra said. 鈥淧ets should not be bought as a surprise.鈥澛�NVG
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