APGAW is pleased to announce the launch of the updated Good Practice Code for Rabbit Welfare having been trialling the first draft of the Code for the last couple of years. We are thrilled with the results but have now updated the Code to reflect the developing understanding around rabbit welfare. For a long time we have been aware that as one of the most owned pets in the UK, rabbits often suffer from some welfare issues owing to a lack of understanding around their needs. Dogs, cats and horses have Statutory Codes of Practice protecting their welfare but the smaller pets do not have these. T ..read more

APGAW picked up the work it did in 2009 with the publication of A Healthier Future for Pedigree Dogs report through a Parliamentary roundtable in December. Following this APGAW facilitated a high level conference this July in Westminster chaired by Lord Trees to set out a clear plan on how to make substantial improvements to the breeding of dogs to tackle conformation issues which impact on their welfare. The event was attended by leading members of the canine community including representatives from the Kennel Club, British Veterinary Association, Royal Veterinary College, RSPCA, Battersea Do ..read more

APGAW held a roundtable session chaired by Giles Watling MP and attended by police, NWCU, RSPCA, NatureWatch and a number of other experts to discuss wildlife crime and what needs to be done to tackle it. The following points were discussed: Wildlife & Rural Crime Together The links between wildlife and rural crime must be made clear and accepted– they both have significant impacts on landowners, farmers and the public generally and do not exist in isolation. Partnership Partnership approach is a must, investment in partnership can be more valuable than new legislation alone. Notifiable Cu ..read more

APGAW held a roundtable session in December bringing together the key stakeholders such as the Canine & Feline Sector Group, Vet Compass, Kennel Club, RSPCA, British Veterinary Association, Dogs Trust and RCVS to update Parliament on what improvements have been made since the publication of the report A Healthier Future for Pedigree Dogs. There was view that it should be about purebred dogs rather than just pedigree and this was agreed by all in attendance. The meeting was very productive and a number of actions were formed which can be seen in the meeting note here. APGAW will be holding ..read more

In 2009 APGAW ran an enquiry into pedigree dog health and published this report: A Healthier Future for Pedigree Dogs Later this year we intend to pick up on this work again as we recognise whilst there have been some improvements in health testing and conformation tweaks, this is still a significant problem with pedigree dog health ..read more

Animal welfare faces a “deepening crisis” if action isn’t taken to improve local enforcement according to new report. A new report published today by APGAW reveals that almost a half of councils in England do not have a single Animal Welfare Officer in place dedicated to dealing with animal welfare issues. The new report Improving the Effectiveness of Animal Welfare Enforcement, published by APGAW, and backed by the RSPCA, NEWC, the Local Government Animal Welfare Group and World Horse Welfare, is calling for an end to a “postcode lottery” of animal welfare services across Engla ..read more

Over the last 4 years we have seen significant changes to animal welfare legislation including the Licensing of Animal Activities 2018 and a ban on third party selling of puppies and kittens. There is new legislation coming through in the Kept Animals Bill which curb imports of puppies, restrict the keeping of primates as well as the review of the microchipping act and the compulsory microchipping of cats. There are outline thoughts on licensing animal welfare establishments and potentially other animal businesses in the future and, most significantly for enforcement, the introduction of the F ..read more

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare will be holding its AGM on 9th March 1400 via Zoom. Members of Parliament are able to put themselves forward to be officers of the Group at this meeting and therefore be part of the team who set the agenda and work streams for APGAW over the next year. The AGM will also consider the financial records of APGAW and its works over the past year. If you would like to attend the AGM or wish to be put forward as an officer of the Group please contact us at admin@apgaw.org ..read more

APGAW works in a strategic manner by raising animal welfare issues with Parliamentarians, engaging key experts and devising solutions which we see through to implementation. Over the past 2 years we have worked on livestock worrying and are currently seeing updated legislation making its way through Parliament, welfare at slaughter from which we helped to set up the Abattoir Sector Group and integrated our work into Government policy on farming and improving companion animal welfare through the use of Welfare Codes which saw the publication of the Rabbit Welfare Code. We are seeking to continu ..read more

APGAW is pleased to announce the launch of the first Good Practice Code for Rabbit Welfare to mark the start of Rabbit Awareness Week 2021. For a long time we have been aware that as one of the most owned pets in the UK, rabbits often suffer from some welfare issues owing to a lack of understanding around their needs. Dogs, cats and horses have Statutory Codes of Practice protecting their welfare but the smaller pets do not have these. This is why APGAW has worked with a small team of experts from RSPCA, Rabbit Welfare Association, PDSA, PfMA, Pets at Home, Animal Welfare Foundation and PIF to ..read more