UK to ban puppy farms and trail hunting in major animal welfare reform

Snaring and puppy farming are set to be banned in new sweeping reforms to British animal welfare, the government is set to announce.

Under the new animal welfare strategy a consultation will also be launched on banning electric shock collars and reforming dog breeding practices to ensure pets are brought up in a healthy environment.

New laws to be implemented by 2030 will phase out confinement methods in farming, such as colony cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for pigs.

The government is also set to pledge to review the use of carbon dioxide stunning to kill pigs and to introduce humane slaughtering requirements for farmed fish, in its animal welfare strategy being unveiled on Monday.

Wild animal protections will include banning snare traps and trail hunting as well as reducing the number of adult hares being shot via a new close season.

Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said it was ‘unbelievable’ that Labour was planning to crack down further on hunting.

He told BBC News: ‘People across the countryside will be shocked that after Labour’s attack on family farms and its neglect of rural communities it thinks banning trail hunting and snares used for fox control are a political priority.’

Third party puppy selling was banned under the Johnson Government in ‘Lucy’s Law’ – so named after Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rescued from a farm where she was kept in terrible conditions.

Puppy farming is practiced by unscrupulous breeders often by over-breeding and denying the pets essential care.

Defra figures estimate that hundreds of thousands of farmed dogs enter the UK every year.

According to the Kennel Club, a third of these puppies get sick or die within their first year.

Which practices could be banned?

Among inhumane practices set to be outlawed is puppy farming, which often leads to overbreeding and sick animals.

Colony cages, which were introduced after the UK and EU banned traditional battery cages in 2012, could also be phased out for laying hens.

Also known as enriched cages, the enclosures can keep from 40 to 80 birds.

While they offer more room than barren cages, campaigners say they still provide poor conditions.

New legislation could also ban farrowing crates, cages used to house pigs while they are giving birth.

Proponents say they protect fragile piglets from being crushed, while critics say they are cruel because they restrict the sow’s movement.

The government will also consult on stunning pigs by carbon dioxide.

Around 90% of British pigs are killed after being made unconscious by large amounts of gas, however the practice is controversial due to concerns over the animals’ pain and fear.

Add as preferred source