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The Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths (Lab, Wrexham), is set to keep her promise to legislate on third-party puppy and kitten sales by the end of the term.
Regulations were recently tabled which will introduce a “Lucy’s Law” equivalent to Wales (regulations – pdf; explanatory memorandum – pdf).
“Lucy’s Law” is named after a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. Her mistreatment as a breeding bitch on a Welsh puppy farm prompted a campaign to clamp down on puppy farming and the sale of puppies and kittens through pet shops and other third parties (who were often supplied by puppy farms).
A ban on third-party sales came into effect in England and Scotland during 2020.
The Welsh regulations were originally tabled in January but were withdrawn due to a drafting error.
The regulations propose to:
- Require anyone selling live animals as pets for a profit/as a business to have a licence from a local authority, with people convicted of animal welfare offences barred from holding a licence.
- Set minimum standards for licence holders related to record-keeping, staffing, animal upkeep and nutrition, living environment, behaviour and training (which must not cause pain, suffering or injury). Licensees must also have an emergency plan (i.e. in case of fire), as well as lockable gates and external doors.
- Set out measures by which local authorities can enforce, suspend or revoke licences, carry out inspections and charge fees for licences. This includes an appeals process.
- Restrict the sale of puppies and kittens (defined as dogs and cats aged under 6 months) to the place where they were bred (i.e. a licenced breeder), while adult dogs and cats can only be sold to the prospective buyer in-person on the premises. This implies the regulations don’t apply to approved rehoming centres.
- Ban the sale of: non-mammals that can’t feed themselves, unweaned mammals; puppies, kittens, ferrets and rabbits aged under 8-weeks.
The regulations – which will likely enjoy cross-party support – are set to be voted on by Senedd members on 23rd March 2021.
If approved, the regulations will come into force on 10th September 2021. They delay is to give affected businesses enough time to ensure they are ready to comply with the new rules.
