A CAMPAIGN to ban and outlaw third-party puppy farming has been given the backing of Torfaen council.

Councillors approved a motion from Cllr Kelly Preston (Labour, Fairwater ward) to support the Lucy's Law campaign at a full council meeting on Tuesday.

Campaigners are calling for an immediate ban on the sale of dogs and puppies by pet shops and other commercial dealers.

Cllr Preston told the meeting: "Lucy's Law is the start of a campaign.

"It is about getting the UK and Welsh government to recognise that there's a problem."

The motion said that Torfaen council would add its name to a ‘growing list’ of supporters and raise awareness of the campaign.

Cllr David Yeowell (Labour, Panteg) was among those to give his backing to the motion.

He said: "I hate to think that any animal is being abused, misused or mistreated."

Cllr Gwyn Jenkins (Independent, Snatchwood) said he agreed 'wholeheartedly' with the campaign.

"Anything to help any animal I support," he added.

Cllr Huw Bevan (Conservative, Llanyrafon East & Ponthir) asked why the ban included pet shops.

In response, Cllr Preston said the issue was about monitoring of pet shops selling puppies.

And Cllr Nicholas Jones (Conservative, New Inn) asked whether the motion could go further in outlawing the practice.

But Cllr David Daniels (Labour, Pontnewydd) said the motion was about giving strength to the campaign which itself gave further details.

The plans would mean those wanting to buy or adopt a pet younger than six-months-old will have to go directly to a breeder or a rescue centre.

The UK Government has started consulting on the proposed ban in England, but animal welfare remains a devolved matter in Wales.

Members of the Welsh Assembly have expressed general support for the ban, while a petition urging the Welsh Government to implement it has reached nearly 6,500 signatures.

Lucy’s Law is named after a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who was rescued from a Welsh puppy farm in 2013 but died three years later.

One of the campaign’s leading supporters is CARIAD (Care and Respect Includes All Dogs), which also means ‘beloved’ in Welsh.

Several councils in Wales have already passed, or are looking to pass, motions in support of CARIAD, including Caerphilly.