Docking tails and cropping ears is a cruel and inhumane practice used by puppy smugglers.
The Government have published plans to tackle cruel puppy smuggling and ban the import of dogs with cropped ears or docked tails to safeguard the welfare of imported puppies and dogs.
After leaving the EU, we are free to reform the laws on animals and strengthen our position to ensure that all our animals are safe from cruelty.
Puppy smuggling increased by 260 per cent from 2019 to 2020 – it is a cruel trade that we are determined to stamp out to protect puppies’ welfare.
That is why we are building on our commitment in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare by setting out our proposals to raise the minimum age for puppies imported into the UK and banning the importation of dogs which been victims of ear cropping and tail docking.
We need to protect dogs from unnecessary suffering and the public from criminals seeking to profit from cruel practices towards animals.
