TIME is running out for anyone who wants to have their say on puppy farming in Wales.
The Welsh Assembly Government’s consultation into new regulations for dog breeders ends on May 23.
Campaigners want the laws to be strengthened to improve the standard of living for dogs.
Julie White of the Cariad Campaign said that current proposals on staff/dog ratios don’t go far enough and that more needs to be done.
The Welsh Government is considering a maximum responsibility of 30 dogs per member for staff but Cariad say this means dogs will only receive 10 minutes of care a day. They want the number lowered to a maximum of 20 dogs per member of staff.
According to Cariad, Wales is the British capital for volume puppy breeding, with many puppy farms operating without a licence.
Ms White said: “Puppy farming is huge in Wales with many dogs being repeatedly bred from and held on farms in squalid conditions where they receive little or no vet attention and have little or no freedom outside their pen enclosures.”
The Cariad Campaign has been running a post card petition to gain support around Swansea.
However, they see the problem lying chiefly in West Wales where farmers are breeding dogs as a sideline to supplement their incomes.
They claim unlicensed dog breeders can be hard to police, advertising their services online or through third party dealers.
Ms White added: “Spain has its bull-fighting, Canada its seal culling and Wales has its puppy farms. It’s a shame that when we have so much to be proud of in this country that we should allow this to go on.”
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/chance-say-puppy-farming/story-16086771-detail/story.html
