A council has rejected a Stormont call for new animal welfare rules despite concerns over puppy farms in the area.
Councillors this week approved Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s (NMDDC) draft response to a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) consultation.
In their response elected representatives rejected a DAERA call for the registration of people selling puppies and kittens.
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir launched the consultation on ‘proposals to implement measures on selling and supplying puppies and kittens, in Northern Ireland’ in June.
DAERA said: “The proposals include a version of Lucy’s Law, which bans the third-party sale of puppies and kittens. This means that anyone selling and supplying puppies and kittens in Northern Ireland, must have bred them themselves.
“Proposals also include the introduction of registration requirements which will improve traceability and transparency, enabling the public to more easily identify the source and origin of their puppy or kitten.”
However, the NMDDC draft response, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) cleared indicates a ‘NO’ response for sellers of puppies or kittens being required to register with local authorities. The council also rejected a suggested list of groups exempt from the new rules.
The response states: “The council is of the opinion that other reforms need to be addressed prior to the introduction of the proposed registration regime, and that the review of dog breeding legislation and the regulation of rescue and rehoming centres remain the priority.”
Councillors on the environment committee this week approved the response but also praised the “long overdue” consultation amid a call for more Stormont money to enforce the potential new regulations.
A South Armagh puppy farm featured in a 2016 BBC Panorama episode entitled ‘Britain’s Puppy Farm Dealers Exposed’. As well as that, the Newry-based USPCA reports on its website a “visibly frightened” female dog from a suspected puppy farm recently being “deserted” in a South Armagh ditch.
The USPCA website reads: “A suspected puppy farm dog was found by a member of the public, deserted in a ditch in the Longfield Road area of Forkhill. The dog, which had given birth to multiple litters, was in terrible condition, visibly frightened, unwell and in considerable pain.
“The dog was so severely neglected that it was difficult for the USPCA veterinary team to establish its specific breed, but it was thought to be a spaniel type dog.”
Reacting to the consultation, Rowallane SDLP councillor, Terry Andrews said: “This is a subject that is close to so many colleagues and constituents regarding the sale of puppies and kittens. We’ve all heard about puppy farms and the fact the concerns around them have been raised.
“This consultation on new rules and regulations is long overdue. I think that the key elements of the new rules hone in on individuals who will have to register with councils and comply with regulations. It does confirm a lot of the concerns around irresponsible breeding and illegal sales.”
He added: “However, like everything else that the central government does, they expect local authorities like Newry, Mourne and Down to pick up the tab and do a vital service. At the same time they are not giving us the money to do the task required of us.
“Council budgets are tight and everything is at a premium, we’re doing what we can, but I think DAERA and the rest of the central government need to look at funding.”
Slieve Croob Alliance councillor, Helena Young said: “It’s been five years since ‘Lucy’s Law’ came in to effect in England, named after Lucy the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who experienced health issues after being confined in a cage in a puppy farm and used for breeding.
“This legislation aims to ensure that animals are sold directly from their birth place, thus banning third party sales from puppy farms, pet shops or online retailers.
“It is evident we are falling behind other parts of the UK, which have already made progress in banning large scale breeding of these animals ensuring they are no longer regarded as mere commodities.
“These breeding facilities inflict unimaginable cruelty on animals in appalling conditions.”
She added: “Mothers of puppies are made to breed continuously until they are ultimately discarded with puppies and kittens forcibly taken off them and sold.
“Families mistakenly buy these animals in the mistaken belief that they are well-bred and healthy. It is imperative to end these unethical operations that prioritise profit over animal welfare.
“We would ask anyone interested in this matter to participate in DAERA Minister Andrew Muir’s (Alliance) consultation.”
The public consultation closes on August 25.
