Completed petition Impose a legal limit on the maximum number of breeding bitches in licensed dog breeding establishments in Wales.

The Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2014 has imposed the requirement for a breeder with 3 or more breeding bitches to be licensed as a breeding establishment. However, no maximum limit has been placed on the number of breeding bitches that can be kept in a licensed dog breeding establishment. There are therefore licensed dog breeding establishments in Wales that are breeding dogs on an industrial scale, with some establishments licensed to breed from 90 or 100 bitches on a single premises. Even if licensing conditions are met in these mass breeding establishments, the breeding of dogs on such an industrial scale is a highly questionable practice and needs to be reviewed. This petition therefore requests that Welsh Government hold a public consultation into defining a maximum limit on the number of breeding bitches in licensed breeding kennels. Included in this consultation should be a review of whether or not the Welsh public and Welsh organisations consider that the mass breeding of dogs is acceptable. The consultation also needs to consider whether the licensing local authorities in Wales have fulfilled their requirement to inspect and where necessary revoke dog breeding licenses, as if we are to permit the mass breeding of dogs then Welsh Government must ensure that local authorities enforce licensing conditions and fulfill their obligations as laid out in the 2014 Regulations.