BARKING MAD

Fury at Tories for abandoning law change that could have brought an end to puppy farming & cruel ear cropping

-  MARK MCGIVERN

THE Tories have been slammed by Scottish animal rescuers for breaking a promise to crack down on puppy abusers.

The UK Government's ditching of the Kept Animals Bill was branded a "massive step back" by Scottish SPCA chief executive Kirsteen Campbell.

The Bill would have banned the importing of puppies under six months of age.

It could also have brought an end to cruel ear cropping of pups by banning the import to the UK of animals that suffered in backstreet vet ops overseas.

After the UK Government admitted it would scrap the legislation, Campbell said: "This was a fantastic opportunity to make some giant steps but we are now looking at a wasted opportunity and a massive step backwards.

"With ear cropping, we are seeing an explosion in cases in Scotland yet it's hard to prosecute owners, who often claim the pup was like that when they got it.

"The current law contains a loophole, whereby our investigators really need to get early intelligence on puppies, to be able to get the proper evidence for convictions." The Kept Animals Bill also contained a provision that banned the import to the UK of any pup under six months old.