Government
Government policy plays a critical role in shaping the regulatory and commercial environment for the UK pet industry. Under this tag, Pet Gazette covers legislation, consultations, and regulatory updates affecting pet retailers, wholesalers, and distributors — from pet food labelling and animal welfare standards to licensing rules, trade regulations, and business rates. We also report on government-backed initiatives, support schemes, and local authority actions that influence retail operations or supply chain logistics. This tag keeps industry professionals informed about political and regulatory developments with direct implications for commercial petcare businesses.
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Jul- 2020 -10 JulyCoronavirus
Footfall decline eases amid ‘sluggish’ recovery
Footfall across the UK rose by 19% in June against the month prior, but was still down by 62.6% year-on-year, according to the latest figures from the BRC. In the first two weeks of the month, footfall decline averaged 77.1%, but this improved to 53.3% in the remaining three weeks…
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10 JulyCoronavirus
PIF urges government for clarity on VAT reductions
The Pet Industry Federation (PIF) has called on the government to include commercial kennels and catteries in the tourism businesses who will be able to pay lower rates of VAT from next week. The federation said businesses in the pet boarding sector (kennels and catteries) have experienced a huge drop…
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10 JulyFeatures
Coronavirus Diary: First Vet
How the pandemic changed has my day to day experience of working with pets? I work for FirstVet, a video-based veterinary consultation service that was first launched in the UK in April 2019. During the pandemic FirstVet has seen a marked increase in the demand for remote consults (in fact,…
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8 JulyEconomy
Government to crack down on violence against shopworkers
The government has vowed to crack down on violence and abuse against shopworkers. In a statement, yesterday the Home Office said it will work with National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) on a best practice guide to support staff in reporting these crimes, strengthening and making full use of existing…
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7 JulyEconomy
Usdaw urges chancellor to announce retail recovery plan
Retail trade union Usdaw is calling on the chancellor to announce in Wednesday’s (8 June) economic statement an “urgent recovery plan” for the “struggling retail industry”, which is developed with trade unions and retail employers. Some of the factors, Usdaw is urging the government to cover fundamental business rates, an…
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2 JulyCoronavirus
High street retailers ‘urgently’ need government recovery plan, says Usdaw
Shopworkers union Usdaw has urged the government to agree with employers and trade unions a recovery plan for the high street as “thousands of further job losses are announced”. The union said the scale of job losses across the retail industry is “accelerating” as the high street continues to struggle…
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1 JulyRetailers
Usdaw calls on government to consider new deal for retail workers
Retail trade union Usdaw is marking 100 days of lockdown by calling for a new deal for workers, after the coronavirus emergency has shown that “millions of low-paid” and “undervalued workers” have “stepped up in the most difficult of circumstances”. Usdaw said workers in retail, manufacturing, distribution and home delivery…
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Jun- 2020 -30 JuneCoronavirus
Government confirms changes to ‘flexible’ furlough scheme
The UK government has confirmed the latest set of changes to its “flexible” furlough scheme – dubbed CJRS V2 – ahead of its launch of the 1 July. HM Revenue and Customs has set out the new guidance as the current version of the Coronavirus Job retention Scheme (CJRS) ends…
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30 JuneCoronavirus
Reopening is ‘no magic bullet’ for retail, says BRC
Reopening is “no magic bullet” for retail, the British Retail Consortium has warned despite UK footfall improving since lockdown restrictions were lifted earlier this month. The BRC’s footfall tracker found that UK footfall decreased 53.4% year-on-year during the second week of reopening in England and NI. This is compared to a decrease of…
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29 JuneCoronavirus
Guide for ‘considerate shopping’ launched by Usdaw, SRC and the Scottish government
Shopworkers union Usdaw and the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC), along with the Scottish government have partnered to launch a five-step guide to encourage “considerate shopping”, as retailers are permitted to re-open their stores from today (29 June). The trade unions said the reopening of non-essential shops marks a “crucial time”…
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