We #CrackedDownOnPuppySmuggling, but what does that mean?
The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
For years, animal lovers, vets, and animal welfare organisations like FOUR PAWS have been calling for stronger protections for companion animals being brought into the UK. Now, that call has been answered!
The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 is a huge step forward, closing loopholes, putting welfare first, and making it harder for unscrupulous cross-border smugglers to profit at the expense of innocent companion animals.
This is a clear win for animal welfare, but with any new legislation, it’s completely natural to have questions. What does it change? How will it work? What happens now?
That’s where this blog comes in. Below, we’ve pulled together some frequently asked questions to explain a little bit more about how the Act will work. Whether you’re simply curious or just want to understand how this new law will make life better for animals, you’re in the right place!
Will there be an exemption for legitimate rescue organisations to continue to re-home dogs that have had their tails docked due to their working life or for the many dogs mutilated due to abuse?
Built into the legislation is the option for exemptions to the various restrictions including on the import of mutilated dogs. However, the details of these exemptions are still to be decided under the Secondary legislation and regulations that support the Bill.
Next year we will be working to recommend that the exemptions are kept as tight as possible to stop any abuse of the system, while allowing legitimate animal rescue groups to apply for exemptions.
How exactly will the new Act stop puppy smuggling?
The law aims to restrict the ability of puppy smugglers to import puppies into the UK underage and disguised as pets. For example, by limiting the import age to a minimum of six months we empower border enforcement, who will find it easier to judge the animal’s age by the presence of adult teeth. Similarly, by banning the import of dogs with docked tails or cropped ears we help to end the fashion for these mutilations and make UK enforcement easier. By limiting the numbers of animals allowed to be imported at any one time and increasing the import age we also reduce the profitability of these operations.
We can’t speak to border policies around vehicle checking, this extends beyond animal welfare to include other potentially checks including for other illegal imports.
Will mutilated dogs lose their lives as a consequence of this law?
There are planned exemptions within the Act (to be worked out in Secondary legislation) so legitimate charities working with rescue dogs would be able to apply for an exemption to the mutilation clause. However, the government is still yet to consult on this.
What are the next steps with this legislation?
The Bill has received Royal Assent so is now an “Act”. However, it has not yet become an enforceable law. This will not happen until the Secondary Legislation (regulations) have all been decided. We expect this will be next year. We will be working to ensure that the regulations are as tight as possible so as not to be exploited by puppy smugglers, but to also ensure that genuine animal lovers are not punished.
If you have any questions that aren’t addressed above, feel free to message us on one of our social media channels and we will try to get an answer for you!
Here’s to improving the protection of animals, one Bill at a time.
