Rejected petition PLACE CEREDIGION COUNCIL IN SPECIAL MEASURES FOR PERSISTENT ANIMAL WELFARE FAILURES

For over a decade, Ceredigion Council has persistently failed in its duty to enforce and uphold dog breeding regulations and animal welfare legislation. These failings have resulted in the unnecessary and prolonged suffering of dogs and puppies.

C.A.R.I.A.D. and others have reported licensed and unlicensed puppy farmers of concern to Ceredigion Council for a decade. In all this time we've seen no sense of urgency about any of our concerns that dogs were suffering in these establishments.

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A number of Ceredigion's licensed dog breeding establishments have been exposed by the media as a result of eventual prosecutions for breaches of licensing conditions, operating illegally and/or causing serious welfare harm to animals in their care. These cases involved puppy farmers who were repeatedly reported to Ceredigion Council.

Welsh ministers may only intervene in the running of a council as a last resort and Local Authorities are independent statutory bodies responsible to their electorate and others for their actions or inactions. However, we have raised our concerns about the failings of Ceredigion Council to prevent animal suffering with Welsh Government officials for years.

C.A.R.I.A.D. now calls on the Welsh Government to intervene and place Ceredigion Council in special measures for persistent animal welfare failures. All responsibility for animal licensing and inspection by the Council should be suspended immediately and the findings of an inquiry be made public.

Why was this petition rejected?

It’s about something that the Senedd or Welsh Government is not responsible for.

Petitions to the Senedd must call for a specific action that falls within the powers of the Senedd or Welsh Government.

Local authorities can be placed in special measures in specific circumstances relating to regulated services they provide, such as education or social services. These areas are regulated by the relevant regulatory bodies.

There is currently no legal basis on which the Welsh Government could place a local authority into special measures on grounds of ‘animal welfare failings’.

As a result, it is not possible for the Senedd to take the action called for by your petition.

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards

Rejected petitions are published in the language in which they were submitted

Date submitted 11 November 2020
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