NEWPORT has become the latest authority to back calls to ban and outlaw ‘abhorrent’ third-party puppy farming in Wales.
The Lucy’s Law campaign, named after a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rescued from a puppy farm, has gained support from councils across Wales.
A ban on third-party sellers, those who are not dog breeders and act as ‘middle men’ between breeders and the public, has already passed in England.
Any ban would not affect non-profit activities including rehoming puppies through dog charities and sanctuaries.
But with animal welfare being a devolved power, the campaign is urging the Welsh Government to follow in the footsteps of their counterparts in Westminster.
READ MORE: Torfaen council gives backing to Lucy's Law campaign for ban on puppy farming
Councillors in Newport pledged their unanimous support for Lucy’s Law on Tuesday, with council leader Debbie Wilcox saying such practices would ‘not be tolerated’ in the city.
“A ban on commercial third-party sales will probably not entirely eradicate puppy farming but it is an effective strategy to dramatically reduce the scale of the problem and compel breeders to raise standards,” said Cllr Wilcox.
“In Newport we have dealt with a number of cases of unlicensed pet sellers and breeders and that’s resulted in enforcement action.
“Officer have also dealt with cases where dogs have been imported from European countries and claimed they’d bred the puppies themselves.”
Deputy leader Mark Whitcutt told councillors that Lucy, who died in 2016, had developed epilepsy and was left with a curved spine and fused hips after years of mistreatment.
“That summarises the abhorrent practices that this trade involves,” said Cllr Whitcutt.
“It’s unregulated, so these animals can be kept in all sorts of often unsanitary conditions, even in derelict cars and buildings.”
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Labour councillor Phil Hourahine, paraphrasing Mahatma Gandhi, added: “The way we treat our animals is the way others judge our civilisation.”
The motion tabled by Cllr Wilcox was supported by her opposite number, Conservative group leader Matthew Evans, who urged the Welsh Government to act quickly.
“I’ve never understood animal cruelty and how people can keep these pets in appalling conditions and quite rightly we should be highlighting it,” he said.
The Lucy’s Law campaign was established in 2017 and is supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group, chaired by the Scottish Nationalist Party MP, Dr Lisa Cameron.
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