Animal welfare charity Battersea is calling on the public to email their local MPs in support of the Imports Bill, which will finally help stop the importation of animals with harmful cosmetic mutilations, such as cropped ears.
Ear cropping is a brutal cosmetic procedure that has been banned in the UK for over 18 years under the Animal Welfare Act (2006). But, while the practice is illegal, the importation of dogs with cropped ears sadly isn’t. The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets) Bill, which is currently going through the House of Commons, is a long-overdue step to close this regulatory loophole.
Spearheaded by vet and MP Dr Danny Chambers, the Bill will ban the importation of dogs and cats that have mutilations such as cropped ears or docked tails, as well as those that are heavily pregnant or under six months old. Unethical breeders are currently taking advantage of import regulations to supply demand at the expense of animal welfare. The new legislation will tackle this, making it harder for unscrupulous breeders to import or smuggle these animals into the UK for profit.
Ben Parker, Public Affairs Manager at Battersea, said: “Battersea has long campaigned for restrictions on the importation of dogs and cats into the UK. We want to see an end to the smuggling of pets and to the importation of dogs with cropped ears – a horrific act which is an illegal mutilation under UK law. We are pleased to see this important Bill moving forward to Report Stage in July, but support for it has never been more crucial if we are to reduce the unnecessary suffering that we’ve seen firsthand.”
Despite campaigning efforts from Battersea and other animal charities, progress has been slow. The Bill has stalled twice before, and Battersea has seen a steady increase in the number of dogs coming into its centres with cropped ears.
American Pocket Bully, Fudge, is one of the many dogs that has suffered while waiting for the provisions of the Bill to be made law. Fudge arrived at Battersea as a young stray, with ears that had been brutally cut. Her Romanian-registered microchip quickly alerted staff to the fact that she had been imported. Fudge was extremely nervous of people when she first arrived at the centre but thanks to the love and expertise of a dedicated group of staff and volunteers, she slowly learnt to trust people again. During her time at Battersea, Fudge was able to receive vital medical care for a range of other breed-related health conditions and was finally rehomed with a loving new owner in East London.
Not only do current import regulations provide a loophole for animals like Fudge to be legally imported into the country, but this loophole creates a smokescreen for ear cropping and tail docking to be carried out illegally in the UK. Unethical breeders are cropping dogs’ ears in the UK but claiming that the procedure itself was done abroad.
One such example is five-year-old Neapolitan Mastiff Ella, who arrived at Battersea’s Old Windsor centre after being found as a stray by a partner rescue organisation. When receiving her initial health checks, Battersea staff saw that her ears had been needlessly cut as part of a cruel and illegal ear cropping procedure. Ella showed herself to be a very gentle soul and understandably found the kennel environment quite stressful. After a careful assessment from the charity’s staff, she was matched with a foster carer, to allow her to rest and continue her training in a relaxing home environment.
The longer the UK goes without this legislation in place, the more animals like Fudge and Ella will be forced to suffer the consequences of ear cropping. Battersea needs the public’s support now to get the Imports Bill passed before the end of the current parliamentary session.
Ben Parker added: “We’re running out of time to get this legislation passed. We can’t afford to go back to square one again and neither can the animals that we support on a daily basis, which is why we’re urging parliamentarians and the public to take a stand against ear cropping by backing the Bill.”
Battersea is calling on the public to contact their MP and join the final push to ban the importation of dogs with cropped ears. For more information about the Imports Bill and to take action, visit Battersea.org.uk.
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Notes to editors
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About Battersea
• At Battersea we offer our love and expert care to dogs and cats who need us by rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals at our centres, and by sharing our knowledge and resources with rescue organisations around the world. We do this because we want to help every dog and cat, everywhere.
• In 2024 Battersea directly cared for 2,766 dogs and 2,454 cats at our three centres. We also helped thousands more through our Communities programme, campaigning work, supporting other rescues and animal welfare advocates, and sharing knowledge and advice with pet owners.
• Battersea has three centres based in London; Old Windsor, Berkshire; and Brands Hatch, Kent.
• To find out more visit our website or follow Battersea on Twitter @battersea_ , Instagram @battersea, Facebook facebook.com/Battersea and TikTok @battersea.