Puppy farm and trail hunt ban promised in animal welfare strategy
An end to dog breeding and a possible ban on the use of electric shock dog collars is promised as part of the government’s new animal welfare strategy launched on Monday.
The strategy, which combines new laws with legal reforms and proposals, will also progress Labour’s manifesto promises to ban trail hunting in the countryside.
The RSPCA has welcomed plans to ban puppy farming but the Countryside Alliance condemned the stalking ban as “another attack on the countryside”.
Environment Minister Emma Reynolds told the BBC there would be consultations on a ban on stalking, which is “sometimes used as a smokescreen” for illegal fox hunting.
Puppy breeding is the term used when breeders prioritize profit over animal health and welfare, often keeping large numbers of dogs in small pens and using them to produce multiple litters per year.
Current dog breeding practices will be reformed to tackle puppy farming as part of what the government calls the “biggest animal welfare reforms in a generation”.
However, the full strategy will not be delivered until the end of 2030.
David Bowles, the RSPCA’s head of public affairs, said the animal welfare charity was “delighted” with the strategy and added that plans to ban puppy farming “could be a real game-changer”.
“Puppy farming is one of the most insidious problems facing the RSPCA.
“The government will need to write legislation on this next year and the RSPCA will work with them to make sure there are no gaps,” he said.
The government also plans to ban the use of pitfall traps in the countryside and confirmed on Sunday it would consult on a proposed ban on trail hunting in the New Year.
Trail hunting involves using a naturally scented cloth on the hunt to leave a trail before the hunt; this is then followed by the hounds, but livestock scents may be picked up by the pack instead.
The foreign secretary told the BBC that Labor had previously banned fox hunting in 2004, but “we have seen people try to get around that ban by using track hunting in some cases.”
“Obviously it’s also an enforcement issue, it’s not just about legislation, but we’re determined to go further, so banning track hunting is part of the animal welfare strategy,” he said.
“We know it was sometimes used as a smokescreen in fox hunting.”
But Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said it was “incredible” that the government had given more parliamentary time to hunting.
He said: “It is completely unnecessary to revisit this pointless and divisive issue.
“Rural people will be shocked that Labor thinks banning track hunting and trapping for fox control is a political priority, after its attack on family farms and neglect of rural communities.”
Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake called the ban an “attack on rural Britain and British culture” and accused the government of “punishing the law-abiding majority who support stalking”.
The government is also considering ending the use of “confinement systems” in farming, including caged hens and pig farrowing crates used to contain sows during birth and lactation.
The use of slow-growing chickens will be encouraged, instead of the controversial term “Frankenchickens” used by animal welfare campaigners to describe fast-growing breeds.
Anthony Field, head of Compassion at World Farming UK, said the government had “raised the bar for farm animal welfare”.
The National Pork Association said it would “keep a close eye on next steps” regarding farrowing crates and that it, too, is moving towards more flexible systems.
The BBC approached the British Poultry Council for comment.
