Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Puppy Trafficking

Thursday 21 January 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Andrew Gwynne questioned the Government about steps to stop illegal puppy smuggling into the UK.
  • The Government are considering ways to tackle illegal puppy trafficking.
  • Stakeholder views, including those of the Dogs Trust, are being taken into account by the Government.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
Immigration Migrants & Borders Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Recently, there have been issues with puppies being brought into the UK illegally, causing significant harm to these animals. The Dogs Trust has proposed raising the minimum age for puppies entering the UK to six months and increasing penalties for smugglers.

Question

What steps are you taking to stop recently born puppies from being brought into the UK illegally? Every year thousands of puppies are still illegally smuggled across eastern Europe, suffering significant health problems and behavioural challenges. Some do not survive. The Dogs Trust wants the Government to raise the minimum age for puppies entering the UK to six months and significantly increase penalties for smugglers.

Answer from Victoria Prentis

The Government are actively considering a range of opportunities to crack down on this abhorrent trade. We are listening to the views of stakeholders, including the Dogs Trust and the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific timeline or concrete actions for implementing proposals.

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Q2 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
Immigration Agriculture & Rural Affairs Environment
Context

Recently, there have been issues with puppies being brought into the UK illegally, causing significant harm to these animals. The Dogs Trust has proposed raising the minimum age for puppies entering the UK to six months and increasing penalties for smugglers.

Question

Every year thousands of puppies are still illegally smuggled across eastern Europe to be mis-sold to British dog lovers, suffering health problems and behavioural challenges. Some do not survive. The Dogs Trust wants the Government to raise the minimum age for puppies entering the UK to six months and significantly increase penalties for smugglers. The Minister talked about opportunities at the end of the transition period; when are we going to get on with it?

Answer from Victoria Prentis

The Government are actively considering a range of opportunities to crack down on this abhorrent trade. We are listening to the views of stakeholders, including the Dogs Trust and the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific timeline or concrete actions for implementing proposals.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)