• 9,882 dog breeding licences issued across the UK between 2018-2023.   
• 88% approval rate for new breeders, with renewals reaching 95% in 2023.  
• Public complaints about dog breeders rarely lead to increased inspections.  
• Only 35 licences were revoked or suspended over five years – just 0.35% of the total issued.  
• FOUR PAWS UK calls for a National UK Animal Welfare Taskforce to close regulatory loopholes and protect animal welfare  

22 May 2025 – Today, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS UK releases a damning new report exposing a severe lack of scrutiny over licensed dog breeders across the UK. The findings reveal an alarming inconsistency in local authorities’ enforcement of breeding regulations, raising urgent concerns about animal welfare.   

A Broken System  

One of the report’s most troubling findings is the stark disparity in how local authorities enforce dog breeding regulations. Many licences remain valid for one to two years, allowing breeders to operate unchecked for long periods. Shockingly, there is no clear link between public complaints and increased inspections, raising questions about the effectiveness of current oversight.  

Between 2018 and 2023, only 35 licences were revoked or suspended out of nearly 10,000 issued—contradicting the Government’s 2023 claim to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee that local authorities routinely reject new applications or refuse renewals. FOUR PAWS UK’s data suggests the opposite: approvals are nearly automatic, and renewals are little more than a tick-box exercise.   

This postcode lottery of enforcement across the UK puts animal welfare at risk.   

Licensing Disparities and Financial Inconsistencies  

Based on Freedom of Information requests to 382 local authorities (317 England, 32 in Scotland, 22 in Wales and 11 in Northern Ireland), the report highlights another alarming issue - significant variations in licensing costs and enforcement levels. While Northern Ireland maintains a uniform pricing structure based on breeding females, England, Scotland, and Wales lack any such consistency.  

Says Simon Pope, FOUR PAWS UK Campaigns Lead:   

“It is deeply concerning to see the vast differences in how authorities ensure compliance with the licence requirements across the country. The key objective of a dog breeding licence is to safeguard animal welfare. But we’ve found huge blind spots in the inspection effort, and we cannot say with confidence that this system is working in the best interests of the animals it was designed to protect.   

While some authorities have stepped up their efforts, our data shows that for many breeders, once they enter the system, compliance checks become minimal. Good animal welfare should never be about meeting the bare minimum—but in too many cases, even that standard is not being upheld.”  

FOUR PAWS UK Calls for Systemic Change  

Whilst the Government published its Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the LAIA (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) regulations late last year, this largely focused on the cost implications to licence holders and the ease with which the system can be administered, but it failed to address the lack of oversight and enforcement failures. The 2024 EFRA report further acknowledged local authorities’ struggles with funding shortages, lack of specialist knowledge, and inconsistent training—all of which put animal welfare at risk.   

A United Kingdom Animal Welfare Taskforce   

To address the critical failures highlighted in this new report, FOUR PAWS UK is calling for a pooling of expert resources at both regional and national levels. Knowledge sharing can save vital funds whilst meeting the duty of care promised to animals by the breeding licence regulations. A nationally coordinated body must also be established to support local authorities, providing access to highly trained, regionally located professionals whose expertise could be utilised as needed. Implementing a stronger, unified system like this would alleviate the burden of LAIA licensing from local authorities, ensuring more consistent and effective enforcement.    

Pope concludes:   

“Only by ensuring the right expertise is in place can we hope to restore trust in the licensing system, and more importantly, safeguard the welfare of dogs across the UK.”  

You can read the full report HERE