MP Caroline Dinenage urges government to pass the Kept Animals Bill and stamp out the illegal puppy smuggling trade

She was one of more than 50 MPs and peers who joined the Dogs Trust charity in a meeting at the House of Commons to discuss how they can work together to end the illegal puppy trade by ensuring the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill is passed by parliament.

The Kept Animals Bill includes provisions to tackle abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), which the charity has been exposing since 2014. Unscrupulous traders continue to take advantage of the scheme to illegally import underage puppies – which are often unvaccinated and in poor welfare conditions – to be sold to unsuspecting buyers, while turning a huge profit for themselves.

Additionally, these unlawful traders are increasingly transporting heavily pregnant dogs. The bill would also help tackle this issue by restricting the movement of pregnant dogs.

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Ms Dinenage has long been an animal welfare campaigner, and said: ‘I was shocked to learn more about the horrendous ways puppies are smuggled into the UK and the poor conditions they endure. The passing of the Kept Animals Bill will be a big step in improving animal welfare in the UK and I hope that Dogs Trust’s campaign will motivate the government to progress with the bill urgently.

‘As a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, and a former patron of the RSPCA, I am keen to see action taken to improve the welfare of these animals, and end the illegal puppy smuggling trade.’

Paula Boyden, Dogs Trust veterinary director, added: ‘I’m pleased that there has been strong attendance at this event with some engaging conversations, however it’s equally disappointing that the government continues to stall the bill which would be a step in the right direction to end the puppy smuggling trade, despite the clear support of its members in welcoming the bill back to parliament.

‘The government mustn’t sit on this any longer; it pledged to crack down on the illegal smuggling of dogs and puppies back in 2019, and it could easily make good on this commitment by passing the bill now.’