Rescue centres provide an essential service for pets, offering shelter and veterinary care, helping animals recover from traumatic situations and carefully matching pets with suitable families to ensure a better future for each animal. I recognise and value the important work that these centres undertake.
However, I am aware that unfortunately there are also cases in which unscrupulous individuals may make money from rehoming animals sourced both domestically and from abroad, in circumstances where there is little oversight of the conditions in which animals are kept or transported, or whether they are suitable for rehoming.
I therefore support the Government’s pledge to consult on whether there should be strengthened oversight of domestic rescue and rehoming organisations.
I believe that the public should have access to the information they need to source pets from responsible organisations. This information is often provided by the animal rescue centre directly, and I support their efforts to encourage the public to rescue pets from responsible UK-based organisations.
More broadly, animal rescue organisations must meet existing statutory welfare requirements as set out by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This means any person responsible for an animal, whether on a permanent or temporary basis, has a duty to ensure the welfare of animals in their care. I encourage anyone with concerns about standards being met to report them to their local authority, which has powers to investigate.
Members of the public can also check if the rescue centre is a member of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes, which has set clear standards for animal assessments, neutering and rehoming procedures.
I will continue to follow and support Government action as it implements its animal welfare strategy. This includes its upcoming consultation on whether to strengthen the laws surrounding rescues and rehoming organisations, which I hope as many people as possible will contribute to.