With the help of our supporters, APA spearheaded a campaign to persuade the Government to propose a ban on the commercial selling of pets at fairs and markets. We now need to ensure that the ban is enacted and properly enforced. By supporting APA, you can help to ensure that pet animals are not subjected to appalling treatment at markets.
Our new leaflet draws a clear distinction between events that involve the private, non-commercial sales of pets, which are legal, and the law- breaking that takes place at pet markets. We believe that the only way for local Councils to monitor these activities and enforce the ban on commercial pet sales is via a system of licensing.
A licensing system would mean that prospective organisers would be required to apply for a licence from their local Council in advance of an event. In the licence application, full details of anyone planning to sell animals would have to be given, along with the numbers and types of animals they plan to sell, and the price the animals would be sold at. Council officers would then be in a position to decide whether or not to issue a licence - if they deemed the activity to be commercial then no licence would be given and the event would be disallowed.
If, on the other hand, the event was deemed to be non-commercial then the Council could licence and inspect the event to ensure that high welfare standards were being maintained.
We believe that a licensing system would be a workable solution to the current enforcement problems faced by local Councils and would end the trade in stressed, sick and suffering pet animals at markets.
Here's what you can do to help the campaign