Meeting of the Parliament 09 May 2024
Earlier this year, I was horrified to find out about a case of illegal and cruel puppy farming in Inverness, in my region. A couple had rented out their cottage for three days. Imagine their shock and horror when they returned to it to find 14 neglected puppies, caked in faeces and urine, some of which were in a cage. They then found out that those puppies were being sold to unsuspecting buyers for £1,500 each.
That is appalling but, unfortunately, it is not a rare story. The puppy trade is a multimillion-pound industry. The illegal underside of the trade has strong links to serious organised crime groups that operate throughout the UK.
The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals did not pull any punches in the evidence that it gave at Westminster. Bred purely for profit, puppies from puppy farms are often kept in conditions reminiscent of those in intensive farming systems. Bitches are bred too often, and many are unhealthy and live in unbearably poor conditions. Puppies are generally removed from their mothers far too early and are then transported in unsuitable conditions to satisfy public demand. Unfortunately, low-welfare breeding is on the rise, despite the best efforts of the SSPCA and others to tackle it. The SSPCA is even seeing a boom in unregulated and unsafe canine fertility clinics to meet the public’s demand for dogs.
Although criminal activity is rising to exploit public demand, we can guard against it by supporting public awareness, education and responsibility around dog ownership. That is exactly what the bill aims to do. I extend my whole-hearted congratulations to Christine Grahame for being such a strong and consistent advocate for companion animal welfare and for bringing the bill to fruition through her hard work and great focus.
The Scottish Greens have always been fully committed to animal welfare. From protecting mountain hares from slaughter on grouse moors to ending live export of farm animals outwith the UK, and from banning the use of cruel snare traps to securing new powers for the SSPCA to investigate wildlife crime, we have been integral to securing such protections for our fellow creatures. My colleague Mark Ruskell is working tirelessly to end the cruel practice of greyhound racing. It is therefore no surprise that we support the bill.
Of course, the Scottish Greens support the intention to protect animal welfare by establishing a more responsible approach to dog ownership and enhanced monitoring and traceability in the breeding and sale of puppies, and we support the intention behind the code. On monitoring and traceability, we recognise the concerns that the Scottish Government has raised about the design of part 2 and the register. It is good to hear that Christine Grahame is content to see a microchipping scheme for traceability. The Scottish Greens will do our part to ensure that that is a priority for the Scottish Government.
I know that there is support from members across the chamber for improving companion animal welfare. Maurice Golden has done great work to build support for a ban on electric shock collars. Scottish Labour wants to ban the import of very young puppies, and the Liberal Democrats supported the bill that became the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, partly to protect pets from distress.
Members might have different ideas about the most effective solutions or the best way to achieve the bill’s intentions, given that resource is limited. However, given the non-controversial nature of the bill’s aims, the bill presents an opportunity for MSPs from all sides of the chamber to work collaboratively to design the most effective legislation and to really get it right.
The Scottish Greens will support the general principles of the bill, and we encourage other parties to do the same.