Government responded to “Ban the sale of puppies by pet shops & all commercial 3rd party dealers.”

The Government has responded to the petition you signed – "Ban the sale of puppies by pet shops & all commercial 3rd party dealers.". Government responded: The Government has published wide reaching reforms of the controls on pet selling which includes a call for evidence on a ban on all commercial third party sales of puppies and kittens in England.

New controls on dog breeding and pet selling in England require all licensed dog breeders and licensed sellers of all pet animals, including sellers who are not also breeders, to adhere to enhanced strict statutory minimum welfare standards linked to the animals' welfare needs set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. 

The controls prohibit the sale of puppies, kittens, ferrets or rabbits below eight weeks of age. This is also supported by changes to Defra's statutory Dog Welfare Code which provides guidance aimed at dog owners.

The controls require any licensed pet seller advertising pets for sale to include their licence number in the advert as well as identifying the local authority that issued it, a photo of the pet, its age, country of residence and country of origin. This will help people identify pets offered for sale from unlicensed sellers including those based abroad

They require the sale of a dog to be completed in the presence of the purchaser on the premises where the licensed seller or licensed breeder has been keeping the dog, thereby banning online sales by licensed sellers and breeders. 

They also ensure licensed dog breeders must show puppies alongside their mother before a sale is made and only sell puppies they have bred themselves. 

In addition to these controls, the Government has issued a call for evidence on banning all commercial third party sales of puppies and kittens in England. Evidence has been requested by 2 May 2018.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Click this link to view the response online: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/213451?reveal_response=yes

This petition has over 100,000 signatures. The Petitions Committee will consider it for a debate. They can also gather further evidence and press the government for action.

The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. 

Find out more about the Committee: https://petition.parliament.uk/help#petitions-committee

Thanks,

The Petitions Team

UK Government and Parliament