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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Dec- 2017 -12 DecemberCurrent Affairs
Government drafts Bill on animal sentience
Responding to the campaign to enshrine Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty into UK law, the Government has today (12 December) published a draft Bill, which sets out that the government “must have regard to the welfare needs of animals as sentient beings in formulating and implementing government policy”. The…
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Nov- 2017 -27 NovemberFeatures
How safe is your job?
Despite a three percent drop in employment, Pet Gazette discovers that the retail sector is still going strong “The pace of job reductions in the retail industry is gathering steam,” says British Retail Consortium (BRC) chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE. In October, the BRC reported a record reduction in retail…
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24 NovemberCurrent Affairs
‘Animal sentience will be recognised’, promises Gove
Michael Gove has confirmed that the sentience of animals will continue to be recognised and protected when we leave the EU. The environment secretary released a statement following a viral campaign which stated Conservative MPs had voted that animals didn’t have the ability to feel or show emotion. Gove issued a…
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22 NovemberCurrent Affairs
Petition to reverse the exclusion of animal sentience reaches 178,000
A petition to reverse the UK Government’s decided to exclude the status of animals as sentient beings in the EU withdrawal bill has reached 178,000. MPs rejected the clause to recognise animals as sentient, a provision covered by EU law. As part of the EU withdrawal bill Green MP Caroline Lucas submitted the…
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20 NovemberCurrent Affairs
Risk of animal welfare slipping in UK, claims charity
Charity, the Dogs Trust has warned that there is a real risk of animal welfare laws slipping in the UK as MPs voted not to include animal sentience in the EU Withdrawal Bill on Wednesday evening. The charity states that ‘this is a huge blow for animal welfare as this…
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17 NovemberCurrent Affairs
Rejection of Brexit bill clause ‘concerning’, says BVA
MPs have voted to reject the inclusion of a crucial clause that would transfer the recognition of animal sentience into UK law post Brexit in an eight-hour parliamentary debate on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill (15 November). Green MP Caroline Lucas submitted an amendment clause (NC30), which sought to transfer the EU…
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14 NovemberCurrent Affairs
Illegal puppy trade fuelled by Christmas
The illegal smuggling of puppies has seen a surge in the run up to Christmas. Nearly 100 puppies were seized in just one week during a covert operation at the UK border by Dogs Trust as devious breeders and sellers hone in on the Christmas trade. The charity believes this…
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3 NovemberCurrent Affairs
Animal heath professionals debate post-Brexit future
The National Office of Animal Health’s (NOAH’s) conference on 1 November in Westminster brought together more than 100 delegates to discuss and debate the future of animal health, as Brexit negotiations continue. The conference – chaired by NOAH Chief Executive Dawn Howard and opened by NOAH Chair Gaynor Hillier –…
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Oct- 2017 -30 OctoberIndustry News
RCVS and BVA join forces to deal with the impact of Brexit
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) have joined forces with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on a project to assess the challenges and opportunities posed by EU exit, with the aim to develop a flexible and skilled workforce which…
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26 OctoberCurrent Affairs
Record reduction in retail employment
There has been a record reduction in the amount of people and hours worked in retail employment, according to the BRC. Hours worked in retail fell by 4.2 percent compared with the same quarter a year ago. Reductions in hours worked on both full-time and part-time contracts contributed. This is…
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