DEFRA

Home dog boarders ‘fear new rules will force them out of business’

An animal trades insurance specialist has said dog daycare and home boarding businesses across England are worried for their livelihoods because of new legislation. Andrew Ball, of animal-related business insurance specialist Cliverton, welcomed new government guidelines to streamline and modernise existing licensing controls for businesses that work with animals but…

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New legislation to allow RVCS to recognise European vet degrees

The House of Lords passed a Statutory Instrument (SI) to allow the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to continue to register veterinary surgeons from the European Economic Area (EEA) after the UK leaves the EU. The Veterinary Surgeons and Animal Welfare (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 were debated in…

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Webbox donates dog food to defrauded K9 Crusaders charity

Pet food manufacturer, Webbox, has provided a donation of Webbox Naturals dog food to the K9 Crusaders charity after it was defrauded out of between £88,000 and £200,000 by a “career criminal”. Sue Smith, the founder of K9 Crusaders, featured on the Do The Right Thing TV programme to talk…

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Regulating the sale of pets online

Online purchases are naturally approached with caution and any avid online shopper knows to be wary of individual sellers and their authenticity. Buyers become much more vigilant when it comes to high ticket items to lessen the risk of losing out monetarily, but the general public may not hold sentient…

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Select committee finds dangerous dogs legislation ‘fails to protect the public’

A new report by Defra has called for a full-scale review of current dog control legislation and policy after the commons select committee found it “fails to protect the public”. The inquiry was launched to investigate Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) and wider dog control, amid concerns that the current approach…

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Defra updates guidance on Animal Activities Licensing regulations

Defra has re-issued the guidance documents for the new Animal Activities Licensing Regulations, which came into force on 1 October 2018. Following feedback provided by the Pet Industry Federation (PIF), in collaboration with the Corporation of London, the new guidance has been amended versions to address some of the points…

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RCVS suspends vet for ‘fabricating emails’ relating to horse insemination

The disciplinary committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has decided to suspend an overseas-based veterinary surgeon for a period of 12 months. The hearing for James Hugh Alexander Crawford took place on 29 August and 30 August and concerned a fabricated email, which Crawford claimed was from…

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‘Poop bag’ advert reprimanded by ASA

An advert for a dog ‘poop bag’ has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), who said it was “misleading” and said claims it was biodegradable were not properly “substantiated”. The ASA received a complaint relating to a product page for dog waste bags on www.ancol.co.uk, which featured text…

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PIF boss Nigel Baker gives his opinions on licensing

We live in a strange and unpredictable world. As of January 2017 the Nuclear or Doomsday clock was set at two and a half minutes to midnight, due to the rise of ‘strident nationalism’ worldwide; the United States’ President, Donald Trump’s, comments over North Korea, Russia, nuclear weapons and the disbelief in…

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Electric shock collars for pets to be banned

The Kennel Club’s ten year campaign to #BanShockCollars has come to fruition with the announcement on Monday (27 August) that Defra will completely ban the use of remote control electric shock collars in England. This follows a ban in Wales in 2010 and an effective ban in Scotland which will…

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