Ministers set to back fresh bid for puppy smuggling crackdown
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Ministers are expected to back a fresh bid to crack down on puppy smuggling after MPs urged the Government to reveal how it will fulfil a series of promises to bolster animal welfare.
Tory MP Selaine Saxby’s proposed legislation would ban dogs and cats under six months from being brought into the UK.
It would also prohibit the importation of heavily pregnant animals and those with mutilations, such as cropped ears or a docked tail.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill goes before MPs on Friday. The Government is set to throw its support behind the measures, it is understood.
The proposals, which come in a private member’s bill, will also limit the number of pets a person can travel with.
It comes after the Government came under pressure from Tory MPs following the decision to scrap its own planned legislation last May.
The Bill had been expected to have cracked down on puppy smuggling, banned live animal exports for fattening and slaughter, and helped to tackle pet abduction and livestock worrying, among other changes.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said last year her colleagues “should be reassured” that the Government still plans to fulfil its pledges.
