Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates has welcomed the news that following a review of dog breeding law, the Welsh Assembly Government will be tightening the laws on dog breeding in Wales in an effort to regulate puppy farming.
The Breeding of Dogs Act will introduce a new minimum supervision requirement of one human supervisor to 20 dogs and will also demand that registered breeders microchip their dogs.
Commenting on the news, Mick Bates stated:
“Action to reform the law on dog breeding is long overdue and I welcome the news that the Welsh Government will be bringing forward legislation to better protect the health and welfare of dogs being bred in the UK. The move towards compulsory microchipping for registered breeders is positive and will play an important part in tracing poorly treated animals back to the source of maltreatment, as well as reuniting lost dogs with their owners.
“I have been appalled by the conditions that have recently been exposed at dog breeding facilities, with animals being kept in small, dark, confined pens in awful conditions and no access to outside space. I have written to the Minister Elin Jones many times highlighting the need for tighter regulation of breeding as a matter of urgency, so I am pleased to see action being taken.
“My main concern is in relation to the qualifying criteria for licensing, as the current law allows for hobby breeders to keep any number of dogs providing they each produce no more than four litters over a year, but this is extremely difficult to monitor.
“I am disappointed that the report only recommended reducing the number of breeding bitches to trigger licensing to three from the current ‘five or more litters’ and I will be writing to the Minister for an explanation of how this can be rigorously monitored.
“A business of breeding dogs for sale would be better defined based on the number of dogs being bred, as this is far easier to check and control than monitoring the number of times a dog is being bred and I hope the Minister will reconsider this point.”
