Pet shop sale ban for puppies and kittens

THE sale of puppies and kittens by pet shops and other commercial dealers will be banned in England, under plans set out by ministers.

Anyone buying or adopting a pet less than six months old will have to deal directly with the breeder or a rescue centre under the proposed ban.

However the ban will not apply to Scotland or Wales, while there are fears that some puppy dealers could pretend they are rescue centres to carry on trading.

The move aims to reduce serious health problems and socialisation issues which afflict pets kept in poor conditions by unscrupulous, profitdriven breeders.

Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, paid tribute to the campaign, saying: “A ban on third-party sales will ensure the nation’s much-loved pets get the right start in life. People who have a complete disregard for pet welfare will no longer be able to profit from this miserable trade.”

A petition backing the ban has been signed by nearly 150,000 people and was debated in Parliament in May.

The consultation follows a call for evidence on the ban, which ran from February to May.

However, the Government’s consultation raised concerns about how the ban can be enforced, admitting that “those participating in third-party sales could attempt to circumvent the ban by presenting themselves as rescue and rehoming charities”.

The paper also accepted that it would possible to get around the ban by buying a puppy from a commercial breeder in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland and then delivering it to an address in England.

New laws are already coming into force on October 1 banning licensed sellers from dealing in puppies and kittens less than eight weeks old.