Hannah Unger

Hannah Unger, an associate at Fieldfisher Ireland and co-founder of Dog Law Ireland, has welcomed plans for reform announced this week by Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

New legislation will introduce a ban on the third-party sale of puppies and kittens in Northern Ireland, as well as mandatory registration for sellers and suppliers.

The changes will bring Northern Ireland in line with other parts of the UK, where measures dubbed “Lucy’s law” — after a mistreated dog rescued by an animal welfare organisation — were introduced following calls from animal welfare campaigners.

Ms Unger told Irish Legal News that the reforms already in place in England, Wales and Scotland make breeders “more accountable for the conditions in which puppies are produced” and “reduces movement of puppies at an early age, which increases risk of disease, stress and poor socialisation”.

She added: “In contrast, neither the Republic of Ireland nor Northern Ireland currently has equivalent legislation in force. This legislative gap allows third-party dealers to operate freely.

“These dealers can collect puppies from breeders and sell them on from private homes, creating the false impression that the animals were family-raised and obscuring the true conditions in which they were bred.”

Irish law on the sale and supply of pet animals was last significantly reformed with the commencement in February 2020 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019.

While those regulations introduced “positive requirements, such as mandatory registration for anyone selling or supplying six or more pet animals per calendar year, annual veterinary inspections, and enforcement mechanisms”, Ms Unger said they “also effectively legitimise third-party sellers”.

“This is particularly troubling in a country known as the ‘puppy farm capital of Europe’, where establishments on both sides of the border are licensed for up to 300 breeding female dogs,” she said.

However, Ms Unger added that Lucy’s law “is not a silver bullet”.

“Some UK breeders have exploited a loophole by obtaining licences to breed dogs in large-scale Northern Irish facilities housing hundreds of breeding females, before importing the puppies back into Great Britain for sale,” she said.

“This practice is technically lawful under the current UK legislation as the original breeder is still selling the puppies, but clearly circumvents the spirit and intent of Lucy’s law to limit low-welfare and high-volume breeding.

“In the event that the Republic of Ireland plans to introduce some form of Lucy’s Law, legislators should be cautious to avoid similar loopholes being created like what has happened in the UK.”

She concluded: “An all-island approach to Lucy’s Law is also certainly needed.

“This is in circumstances where there is a real risk of large-scale commercial breeders from Northern Ireland electing to relocate their operations south of the border where third party sellers are permitted.”

Northern Ireland’s DAERA minister, Andrew Muir, said: “I am delighted to announce that Northern Ireland will soon have its own version of Lucy’s law, ensuring that we are giving the same protections to puppies and kittens that exist in other parts of the UK.”

He added: “It is anticipated that legislation will be made this autumn, and I have asked that my officials work closely with local councils, who play a vital role in the enforcement of legislation relating to companion animals, in planning for its effective implementation.

“Improving animal welfare is close to my heart as minister and Lucy’s law is about seeing more of our puppies and kittens being given the best start in life.”