CavalierCampaign.com
Campaign to improve the health of Pedigree Dogs
My Campaign - Involvement of MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
It came as a major surprise to me that in our nation of animal lovers, there were no laws to protect dogs from the welfare impact of hereditary health problems.
As the Companion Animal Welfare Council pointed out in its 'Report on Breeding and Welfare' (2006), this was a much neglected area of animal welfare.
The Animal Welfare Bill went before parliament in 2005 and a 'duty of care' was placed on all those who own animals. I also became aware of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals which the UK government has not yet signed up to. Pedigree dog breeding was listed to be dealt with as part of the secondary legislation of the Animal Welfare Bill.
I decided to go and see my MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown in November 2005 and to my surprise and pleasure he agreed to support me. He
arranged a meeting with DEFRA officials involved with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the meeting took place in April 2006.At that meeting we were assured that the problem of hereditary health in pedigree dog breeding would be dealt with in the AWA secondary legislation, and that DEFRA would be working with the Kennel Club to ensure better protection for the dogs. DEFRA officials pointed out that the Kennel Club's Accredited Breeders Scheme was a start and there would be a public consultation period about the issue in due course.
Since 2006 there have been decidedly watered down responses from DEFRA. And various Ministers' responses to Parliamentary Questions put by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown have been non-committal. DEFRA have removed 'Pedigree Dog Breeding' from its list of items in AWA secondary legislation, replacing it with 'Dog Code'. Meetings have taken place between DEFRA officials and the Kennel Club, but in my view no real progress has been made and the Kennel Club remain firmly in control. To date we (and others) have been told by DEFRA that pedigree dog breeding 'is not a priority for the government'.
A Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs was published by DEFRA in 2009 emphasising an owner's 'duty of care' but it does not include the breeding of dogs. Under the law, dogs still do not have the protection afforded to farm animals!
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