Industry News

Feb- 2017 -

7 February

Euthanasia drug found in dog food

A US pet food company has recalled its ‘Hunk of Beef’ product after drugs used for euthanasia were detected. Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food found traces of the contaminant Pentobarbital, which is often used to euthanise pets and can be fatal to humans. Pentobarbital can affect animals that ingest it, and…

7 February

Equine company branches into the dog sector

Established horse rug brand Masta is launching a new label for smaller pets, Woofmasta. The company is using its many years’ experience creating tough, safe, problem-solving horsewear utilising the latest technologies to create designs for dogs. “This was a logical next step for us,” says Woofmasta’s Rachel Bowles. “Masta has brilliant…

7 February

One stone rabbit set for PDSA diet

A rabbit weighing over 1 stone has been signed up for a national pet slimming competition after ballooning to almost the size of a one-year-old child*. Zeus, who gets mistaken for a dog, lives with another rotund rabbit, Nala, and his owner, Sharon Close. Sharon, from Leicester, rescued the pair…

7 February

RSPCA to keep powers of prosecution

Private prosecutions will continue to be made by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a new report reveals. MPs called for the government to lessen the prosecution power of the RSPCA in November 2016 so it only acted in exceptional cases. This followed allegations of pets being wrongly taken from homes…

7 February

PIF responds to Defra’s ‘next steps’ for animal establishment licensing

The Pet Industry Federation (PIF) has broadly welcomed DEFRA’s Next Steps document on the review of animal establishment licensing, which includes pet shops and boarding establishments. The trade association represents the interests of over 2,500 UK pet businesses. In its joint submission with OATA and REPTA to the original consultation…

7 February

FSB calls for a pro-business Budget to boost jobs

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called for a pro-business Budget that boosts jobs and long-term growth. The Federations claims that the Chancellor should use the Budget to show he backs British businesses to improve job creation and drive productivity across the nations and regions of the UK. While small…

7 February

New puppy sale laws crack down on backyard breeders

The sales of puppies younger than eight weeks has been made illegal in a bid to crack down on irresponsible breeders. Environment Secretary, Andrea Leadsom, announced that ministers would toughen dog breeding licensing rules to protect thousand of puppies. Anyone breeding and selling three or more litters of puppies a…

7 February

Charities miss out on £80m in donations each year

Charities may be missing out on more than £80m in donations each year1 by only accepting cash donations, according to research from Barclaycard. Four in ten Brits carry less cash now than three years previously, meaning they may give less to charity. According to the research from Barclaycard, one in seven…

7 February

Abuse and violence towards retail workers increases by 40%, finds BRC

There has been a 40 percent increase in violence and other forms of abuse against retail workers in the past year, according to the results of the BRC’s annual Retail Crime Survey. The survey covered 37 percent of the retail industry by turnover and 35 percent by staff, accounting for 1.1…

6 February

Garden centre opens new pets and aquatics centre

Squire’s Garden Centre in Badshot Lea has celebrated the opening of its new Pets & Aquatics Centre. At a ‘Pets & Aquatics’ launch event in late January, families and children came to meet pets. Carefully supervised volunteers held spiders. Children could paint a bunny moneybox, and people came to get their dogs…