Thank you for contacting me about sales of puppies and kittens in England.
This country has a long history of leading the way on animal welfare and Ministers are committed to further raising our already world-leading standards by delivering a series of ambitious reforms, outlined in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare.
Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations), licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including provisions to protect dogs from being bred from too often or at an early age, which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Local authorities are responsible for enforcing legislation in this area, and records of their enforcement activity are not centrally collated.
The 2018 Regulations are due to be reviewed five years after they came into force (2023) and so this will be an appropriate time to re-examine the standards, the associated guidance and consider any changes. As part of planning for this review, Ministers are proactively working with partners, including local authorities, to collate data that can provide a picture of licensed and unlicensed activities involving animals in England, including dog breeding.
Finally, the ban of commercial third-party sale of puppies and kittens in England came into force in 2020. This prohibits pet shops, pet dealers and other commercial outlets from selling these animals in England unless they themselves have bred them. It means anyone looking to get a puppy or kitten must buy direct from a breeder or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.