The Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2014

Welsh Statutory Instrument 2014 No. 3266 — creates 1 criminal offence.

Made

10 December 2014

In force from

30 April 2015

Extent

Not stated

Subject

TV licensing, fare evasion and school attendance

Made under

Schedule 1 to the Animal Welfare Act 2006

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — published with the instrument by the department that made it. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

These Regulations provide for the licensing of persons involved in the breeding of dogs. Part 2 of the Regulations specifies dog breeding for the purposes of section 13(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (c.45) (“the Act”). The consequence of this specification is that, subject to qualifying criteria, any person wishing to breed dogs in Wales must obtain a licence from their local authority under these Regulations. This requirement replaces the requirement to obtain a licence under the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 in Wales. A person who breeds dogs in Wales without a licence under these Regulations commits an offence under section 13(6) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and is liable to imprisonment for a term of up to 6 months, a fine or both. Under section 30 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 local authorities may prosecute for any offence under the Act. Part 3 of the Regulations sets out how a person may apply to the local authority for a licence and sets out matters in respect of which a local authority must be satisfied when considering the granting and renewing of a licence. It provides for a local authority to charge fees to cover any reasonable expenses incurred in performing this function and for monitoring compliance with these Regulations. It requires a local authority to have regard to guidance issued by the Welsh Ministers in carrying out their functions under these Regulations. Part 4 sets out circumstances in which a licence maybe suspended, varied or revoked. Part 5 provides for appeals against licensing decisions by local authorities. Part 6 provides that a breach of a condition of a licence granted under these Regulations is an offence. It provides powers for inspectors to take samples and enter premises and applies relevant post conviction powers contained in the Act. It provides for local authorities to enforce the Regulations. It provides that licences granted under the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 continue to have effect as if granted under these Regulations. Schedule 1 to these Regulations sets out compulsory licence conditions which must be included on each licence granted by a local authority. Schedule 2 to these Regulations amends the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 and amends references to it in 4 Acts consequential upon the repeal of section 1(1) of that Act in relation to Wales. The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a Regulatory Impact Assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations. A copy can be obtained from Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ.

Offences created by this instrument

• It is an offence for a person, without lawful authority or excuse, to contravene any licence condition regulation 22(1) · Status not determined · Strict liability

What Parliament said about it

Contributions, debates and written statements mentioning this instrument by name. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

• Sale of Puppies and Kittens Commons · Commons Chamber · 4 September 2014 · Albert Owen

  I will refer to that. The hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Jonathan Edwards) mentioned the issues that are already being dealt with through the legislation. The draft regulations that I am talking about are the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2014, which were begun by the previous Environment Minister in Wales, who is unfortunately no longer in post. They have been published. A consultation and an environmental impact assessment have taken place, and we need to move forward. In the short time I have, it would be useful if I outlined some of those measures.…

• Sale of Puppies Commons · Commons Chamber · 17 October 2017 · Chris Evans

  These puppy breeders will go to any lengths to make a case and secure a sale; it is all about profit. I will use the example of my current dog; he is a fantastic dog with a great temperament. The key difference between the purchase of my first dog, which my mother bought from a pet shop, and that of my current dog is that I went to a reputable dealer, and met the mother and father, and saw what the puppy was like. The dealer also provided examples of what other puppies from that litter were like. There was a lot of further important information, too. I also had an information pack, so I knew…

How Parliament handled it

Parliament's Statutory Instruments service records procedure from May 2017 onwards, and this instrument predates it. That is a limit of the source, not a statement that nothing happened.

Check the source

• This instrument on legislation.gov.uk The authoritative text, including amendments made since
• Other instruments from 2014