Muir secures Assembly backing to strengthen ban on mutilated pets imports into Northern Ireland

In a move hailed as a “significant step forward” for animal welfare in Northern Ireland, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir has welcomed Assembly approval for a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) that will pave the way for a future ban on importing mutilated cats and dogs.

The Northern Ireland Assembly granted its support to extend powers from the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill currently progressing through the UK Parliament.

The Bill, introduced by Dr Danny Chambers MP, aims to prohibit the importation of animals subjected to cruel practices, including ear cropping, tail docking and de-clawing—procedures which are already illegal to perform domestically for cosmetic reasons.

“This approval by the Assembly marks a significant moment on our journey towards increasing animal welfare protections for pets,” said Minister Muir.

“I am committed to ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare and creating a safe environment for all pets.”

Though the mutilation of animals for aesthetic purposes has been outlawed in Northern Ireland since 2011, a loophole remains whereby individuals can legally import pets from jurisdictions where such cruel procedures are still permitted.

Minister Muir continued:

“No animal should be subjected to mutilations for aesthetic reasons. Ear cropping or tail docking are intensely painful procedures, carried out at a young age and deliver no health or welfare benefits.

“Gaining consent today provides my Department with the ability to close any remaining loopholes in our law and it sends a message that these inhumane practices have no place in our society.”

Once passed in Westminster and given Royal Assent, the Bill will enable the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to introduce secondary legislation specific to Northern Ireland, defining offences and restrictions to stop the import of pets that have been mutilated on welfare grounds.

While the Bill does not itself change the law in Northern Ireland directly, it gives DAERA the legal powers to act decisively at a local level in future.