The UK Government a decade ago advised Welsh farmers to diversify and to go into dog breeding due to the low prices realised by the farmers in their milk quota. This encouraged the trade known as ‘puppy farming’ and the indiscriminate breeding of dogs to supply the pet trade.

Now the Welsh Assembly Government has ignored the horrors of ‘puppy farming’ and is once more encouraging farmers to go into dog breeding by providing some support through The Farming Connect Service for this type of activity by way of an Farm Enterprise Grant (FEG) for diversification. The Farming Connect Service is open to all Welsh Farmers who have holding number and can demonstrate that they can spend 550 hours per annum on an agriculture activity.

The farmer would also have free help in completing a Farm Development Plan with a business consultant. Farm Enterprise Grants applications for dog or horse breeding enterprises will be considered eligible for a grant on the basis that only capital works associated with the enterprise would be eligible e.g. housing and infrastructure such as kennels, foaling boxes/stabling. The purchase of breeding dogs and horses would not be eligible or other revenue costs. They state that all other conditions of eligibility would apply such as viability, market demand, welfare etc. But will it?

In terms of animal welfare this can only be seen as a backward step by those concerned with the over breeding of dogs in Wales and the supply of puppies through agents, dealers to pet shops in the UK and overseas. For the Welsh Assembly Government to be offering financial incentives by way of grants to Welsh farmers for dog kenneling as a means of diversification for dog breeding purposes is just not acceptable. Wales and particularly the areas of South and West Wales is awash with hundreds of dog breeders profiteering in the sale of puppies for the pet shop trade throughout the UK without the introduction of schemes to encourage more to do the same.

Puppy farming or commercial dog breeding has always been lacking in high animal welfare standards with dogs bred from indiscriminately. With breeders disregarding genetics, hereditary conditions, animal behaviour and often even basic kennel husbandry. This results in a life of misery for the breeding bitch and often long-term concern for the resulting litters of puppies. Ultimately the unsuspecting puppy purchaser who has purchased a sickly puppy from a pet shop will ‘pay the price’ and will often incur expensive long term veterinary costs or the trauma of a puppy dying within a few days of purchase.

Many puppy farmers when they sell their puppies to dealers have no idea where the puppy will end up, whether it will even be alive in a few weeks. Made worse, because many do not care. The puppy trade is money orientated; it is just a cash crop as litters of puppies change hands from breeder to dealer to pet shop. Why increase this puppy trade?

Local Councils in Wales are unable to adequately monitor and inspect their Licensed dog breeding establishments now to ensure that licensing conditions are being met and animal welfare is not being compromised. How are financially stretched Councils going to inspect more? Welsh Councils already fail miserably in prosecuting dog breeders operating unlicensed and there are hundreds in these areas that are. This will only mean more escaping through the net.

There are many schemes that farmers can diversify into but dog breeding is one that the Welsh Assembly Government should not be encouraging. Before embarking on this route did the Welsh Assembly Government check with individual Councils to ask of the existing numbers of dog breeders licensed with them and could they accommodate more? Did they ask also for the number suspected of operating unlicensed and how many prosecuted for doing so? Did they ask to whom the breeders would sell their puppies to? Did they ask the Councils how many dogs are found straying and brought into individual Council pounds each year? The figures are astounding with many dogs destroyed. Welsh Councils spend thousands of pounds a year on employing enforcement officers, dog wardens, animal welfare officers all playing some part in the control of stray dogs, all costing the tax payer money. Then the Welsh Assembly Government offers grants for thousands of pounds to farmers to build kennels to breed more dogs, it is a senseless exercise and one that should not be encouraged.