Talking-up Scotland

I can’t bear to place a picture.

I’ve heard anecdotally of the likelihood of puppies bought from the farms being more prone to behavioural and medical problems than those bought from recognised breeders. Now new research from the Scottish SPCA and the University of Edinburgh have confirmed it with clear statistical evidence. The precise details will be revealed at today’s K9 conference and the Scottish Government cabinet secretary responsible will be there so hopefully we can expect more aggressive action soon on shutting these places down. I have seen evidence of a police raid on an Ayrshire puppy farm in the last few weeks, but I see no evidence of a real nation-wide crackdown despite the Scottish parliament debating the issue in December:

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2016-12-21.16.0

However according to a Daily Record piece in June this year, HMRC are taking action against the ‘worst’ cases:

‘The multi-million-pound purge by a specially convened HM Revenue and Customs taskforce follows a huge operation which has seen several dealers dragged through the courts for breaching animal cruelty laws.’

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scotlands-worst-puppy-traders-targeted-10682566

I’m puzzled as to why/how HMRC are able to prosecute on the grounds of cruelty rather than tax evasion.

Scottish SPCA Head of Education & Policy Gilly said:

‘Week after week, animal rescue organisations across the UK and Ireland and devastated owners are picking up the pieces of a multi-million-pound industry which treats these dogs as nothing more than commodities, with no concern at all for animal welfare.’

The Edinburgh research lead said:

‘Our research has now proven that dogs from puppy farms have more behavioural issues and are more likely to have medical conditions impacting their long-term health compared to dogs from other breeding backgrounds.’

https://www.scottishspca.org/newsroom/latest-news/new-research-to-be-unveiled-at-scottish-spca-puppy-trade-conference/

Hopefully this hard evidence will strengthen the case against all of the puppy farms, across the UK, and soon.