The Kennel Club would like to remind dog owners in Northern Ireland that they have just a few more weeks to have their say on potential new dog breeding regulations.
 
The Northern Ireland Assembly Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (DARD) Consultation on Draft Welfare of Animals (Dog Breeding Establishments) Regulations aims to obtain views on re-evaluating current legislation after the Assembly pledged to address the issue of dog breeding as one of the first pieces of legislation to be made under the recently passed Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.
 
The Kennel Club has welcomed the decision by the Department to re-evaluate the substandard legislation regarding the breeding of dogs in recognition that current regulations are outdated and no longer in line with welfare standards.
 
In relation to the dog breeding review, the Kennel Club has met with DARD’s Welfare and Dogs Acts team, who are tasked with reviewing the legislation, to discuss the proposals, share best practice in the form of the principles of the Assured Breeder Scheme and look at how the scheme can complement the aims and objectives of the draft regulations.
 
The Kennel Club is lobbying for dog breeders who conform to a higher set of standards, such as those incorporated in a breeding scheme that is properly accredited by a recognised accreditation body such as the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), to be exempted from the requirement to also undertake local authority licensing conditions which cause authorities to double up on work; instead freeing up resources for inspecting breeders who fall outside such a regime.
 
In its response the Kennel Club has highlighted areas of concern within the regulations which it fears could unnecessarily penalise small scale breeders and actually encourage people to breed larger numbers in order to recoup their costs - leading to an influx of unwanted puppies, breeders taking less care in regards to where the puppies are sold and the suitability of the owners, and dogs being abandoned.
 
Kennel Club Health and Breeder Services Manager, Bill Lambert stated “We congratulate the Northern Ireland Assembly on their work to raise standards in respect of dog breeding to ensure that the health and welfare of all dogs involved are every breeder’s first priority. As principles which are fundamental to the Kennel Club, and at the centre of our Assured Breeder Scheme, we welcome the draft proposals as a step in the right direction.
 
“We will continue working with the Department to give help and advice in areas which we feel have been wrongly addressed, hopefully to achieve a sensible balance of encouraging responsible breeding whilst not penalising small scale breeders.”
 
For more details or to respond to the consultation, please visit www.dardni.gov.uk/consultations.
 
ENDS
[438.11]
22nd December 2011
 
For further press information, images or interview requests please contact:
The Kennel Club Press Office
020 7518 1008
press.office@thekennelclub.org.uk
www.thekennelclub.org.uk
 
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The Kennel Club is the largest organisation in the UK devoted to dog health, welfare and training. Its objective is to ensure that dogs live healthy, happy lives with responsible owners.
 
It runs the country’s largest registration database for both pedigree and crossbreed dogs and the Petlog database, which is the UK’s largest reunification service for microchipped animals. The Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme is the only scheme in the UK that monitors and sets standards for breeders, in order to protect the welfare of puppies and breeding bitches. It also runs the UK’s largest dog training programme, the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme and licenses shows and clubs across a wide range of activities, which help dog owners to bond and enjoy life with their dogs. The Kennel Club runs the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, and the Discover Dogs event at Earls Court, London, which is a fun family day out that educates people about how to buy responsibly and care for their dog.
 
The Kennel Club invests the money that it makes from registrations and its Petlog identification database into its dog training and education programmes, welfare campaigns and the Kennel Club Charitable Trust, which supports dog welfare charities and research into dog diseases. The Kennel Club jointly runs health screening schemes with the British Veterinary Association and through the Charitable Trust, funds the Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust, which is at the forefront of pioneering research into dog health.

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