The BVA Report (November 2018) provides guidance for good practice in the use of animals in advertising. The Report is based on the five animals welfare needs described in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and recommends that all animal imagery in advertising depicts pets in situations that meet their welfare needs. These needs are:
A suitable environment
A suitable diet
To be able to exhibit normal behaviour
Any need it has to be housed with or apart from, other animals
Its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018: Guidance notes for conditions for breeding dogs – DEFRA
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These are the detailed Guidelines that accompany the new Regulations and are aimed at local authority inspectors in England . The Guidelines should be read in conjunction with the Regulations.
In order to gain a licence for Dog Breeding a business will need to meet all of the minimum standards outlined in this document. In addition, businesses are encouraged to apply higher standards in order to achieve a 4 or 5 Star rating. Of particular significance for the higher rating is the requirement for a record of lineage, including coefficient of inbreeding (COI), health testing for hereditary diseases and use of a Puppy Contract.
The Guidance Notes are a welcome development towards better welfare standards in Dog Breeding. The use of a star rated system of licensing will hopefully encourage more breeders to adopt even higher welfare standards. DBRG’s view is that all dogs used for breeding and their offspring deserve the very highest standards of care. These Guidance Notes are an important step towards that goal.
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 – DEFRA
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This is the long awaited Regulations on the Licensing of Activities Involving Animals. The Regulations bring many more dog breeders under the local authorities licensing regime. Anyone who breeds three or more litters of puppies per year must be regularly inspected and obtain a licence from their local authority.
Schedule 6 provides Specific Conditions for the Breeding of Dogs. The Regulations stipulate that no puppy under the age of eight weeks may be sold and a puppy may only be sold if it is together with its biological mother. Puppies must be socialised and habituated to their future life as a pet. Female dogs used for breeding may only have one litter in a six month period and no more than 6 litters in total. Each puppy must be microchipped and registered to the breeder before it is sold. And crucially: ‘No dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype and phenotype or state of health that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare of that of its offspring.’
This Report suggests ways in which the Offspring of Dogs could be better protected under the existing Animal Welfare Act (2006) from inherited diseases and health and welfare problems due to extreme conformation. The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018 states that ‘No dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, phenotype or state of health that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or that of its offspring.’ In principle, therefore, such protection is enshrined in law. In practice, however, this condition will be difficult to enforce. This report makes recommendations as to how, in practice, this principle may be more easily enforced.
The revised Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs was published in 2017. The Code is based on the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and outlines the five welfare needs for a dog and an owner’s responsibility to fulfil those needs. These include: (a) need for a suitable environment (b) need for a suitable diet (c) any need a dog has to be to be kept with or apart from other animals (d) need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour (e) need to be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease. The appropriate agents, such as local authorities, the police, or RSPCA may prosecute a person who does not provide these basic welfare needs for a dog.
This Report aims to help Breed Clubs and Breed Health Co-ordinators embark on a process designed to improve the overall health of their breed. Attention is paid to identifying the specific health problems of the breed and addressing in-breeding and genetic diversity.
This Report looks primarily at the state of well-being of the nations pets. It is structured around owners’ knowledge and application of the Animal Welfare Acts 2006 and the five Welfare Needs that are enshrined within them. It highlights the areas of well-being that still require improvement.. for dogs this includes obesity and insufficient exercise. The Report also finds that 24% of dogs are left alone for more than 5 hours a day and 24% of owners did not see the puppy with its mother.
How in tune are we with the needs of our canine companions? – The RSPCA
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In this Report the RSPCA publishes its research on dog ownership in the UK. There are an estimated 11.5 million dogs in the UK and a quarter of all households share their homes with a dog. The Report asks how much do owners understand about the needs of their dog to ensure that they are physically fit and psychologically fulfilled. Some of the Reports findings are that 22% of dogs spend four hours or more alone each working day. Nearly half of all dogs get between 30 and 60 minutes exercise every day but 20% of dogs are never let off the lead. Most owners agree that dogs need regular opportunities to play. Only 39% of owners attend training classes.
This is DBRG’s the first Annual Report in which an outline of its activities during 2017 are outlined. It precedes the official registration with the Charity Commission as a registered charitable trust (No. 1176163). Highlights include the first DBRG Symposium in collaboration with the University of Surrey Vet School in October and attendance at the international Dog Health Workshop in Paris in April. Several position papers were completed as well as written submissions to key Government consultations associated with animal welfare.
Following a consultation process, Defra published its Report outlining the Next Steps in the Review of Animal Establishments Licensing. The intentions are to create new Model License Conditions for Dog Breeding which will become law. No puppies may be sold under eight weeks; the statutory licensing threshold will be three or more litters; each breeding bitch should have no more than one litter a year; there will be a requirement for licensed breeders to display their local authority licence number when advertising; local authorities will be required to use a risk-based system, including a consideration of an affiliation to a body accredited by UKAS, such as the Kennel Club Assured Breeders Scheme (ABS).
