‘Stormont must act to take on vile puppy trade worth £280m’

USPCA chief in call to get tough on smuggling gangs Govt must provide funds to battle criminal cartels

LAUNCH

TEN words at the end of a USPCA report into Northern Ireland’s illegal puppy trade starkly signal the real issue that enables criminals to carry on regardless.

“First step: recognise the scale and seriousness of the problem”.

USPCA chief Brendan Mullan fears the real scale of the smuggling of puppies through Northern Ireland could amount to £280million a year pocketed by criminal cartels.

He says the government must act now to bring suffering to an end for thousands of battery- farmed puppies being smuggled through Belfast port.

But he believes it will take the will of officials at DAERA and government funding to break the cycle that allows criminal cartels to act with little risk.

He said: “Without the will to make change, there can be no change. Without the funding to make the changes work, then it just won’t happen and the suffering, both animal and human, will continue.

SUFFERING

“Just because most of the human suffering and loss happens outside of Northern Ireland, with people buying sick and dying dogs, doesn’t mean we can turn a blind eye to the issue.

“Northern Ireland plays a vital role in the illegal puppy farm business, a role the traders would be lost without.

“We have a huge problem on our hands, we are part of that problem and the first step to solving it is to recognise that we actually have a problem.

“Right now these criminals know the likelihood of getting caught is low, the costs to them and the risks are minimal.

“While they have a market for pups, they’ll carry on, while they have a route to market through Northern Ireland, they’ll continue and so too will the cruelty.

“Everyone has a role to play, and I believe everyone has a responsibility to protect defenceless animals from those who’d use them for their own ends.”

Mr Mullan presented the USPCA’S 6,000 word report on the puppy trade in Northern Ireland yesterday at Stormont.

Puppy Dog Fortunes paints a bleak picture of cruelty and greed by illegal traders but also huge concerns over the welfare of dogs among some licenced traders too.

In it the USPCA reveals criminals have even set up canine fertility “clinics’” operating without veterinary supervision where female dogs are forcibly artificially inseminated.

Mr Mullan said: “One Northern

Ireland-based clinic advertises a number of services on social media. These include progesterone testing, cytology, semen chilling and shipping, ultrasound scanning, stud dog fertility testing and artificial insemination.

“These procedures should only be carried out by a qualified veterinary surgeon.

“Having this work performed by unqualified practitioners is extremely dangerous for the health and welfare of these poor animals.”

Mr Mullan said conditions in illegal puppy farms are heartbreaking, with females lying in their own mess with repeated litters of puppies.

He added: “We know dogs are being kept in inadequate and squalid living environments, including wheelie bins being used as makeshift kennels, farm outbuildings with the roof missing, and agricultural sheds.”

The USPCA is aware of more than 20 individuals and groups trafficking pups.

One single “licensed” pet transporter is estimated to be illegally moving 120 pups every week in two trips per week on behalf of breeders from both Northern Ireland and the Republic. This single transporter is estimated to be moving in excess of 6,200 pups per year.

Mr Mullan said: “Based on the average price of £1,875 noted in research by Pets at Home this means these pups have a prospective value of £11.7million. It is likely that many or all of the other known ‘traffickers’ are operating on a smaller scale.

“However, even if they were all only operating at one quarter of this rate this would mean that a total of 37,200 puppies were being trafficked annually. These would have a potential value of £69.75million.”

If this only represents a quarter, the reality could be closer to £280million a year.

Mr Mullan said: “The problem has many layers. It is sophisticated but not complicated. It relies on greed, demand and supply. I am frustrated by the lack of drive but determined to expose what is going on, demand action and work together with the government to tackle unscrupulous puppy farming and bring it to an end.

“The illegal puppy trade is a sophisticated, interconnected web of criminal activity.

“We urgently need targeted and focused enforcement in respect of all groups and individuals involved, the illegal breeders, transporters and dealers.

“The first step is to acknowledge the scale of the problem and accept we have a duty to act.”

Criminals know the likelihood of being caught is low