THE MP for Winchester's parliamentary fight for a law to ban the sale of mutilated animals has beaten its first hurdle.

Former vet Danny Chambers' private members bill to clamp down on illegal puppy smuggling passed its second reading and will proceed to the committee stage.

At the next stage, a specially convened committee of MPs (a Public Bill Committee) that reflects the political composition of the House as a whole will do a line-by-line consideration of the bill's details.

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Danny Chambers speaking in the House of Commons (Image: House of Commons) Mr Chambers said: "I’d like to thank the Dogs Trust, RSPCA and the British Veterinary Association for supporting this bill and campaigning on this issue for many years, and now Defra who are putting their support behind the Bill too.

"Also, to all the individual backers across the country who wrote to their MPs asking them to back the bill.

"I was delighted to see many MPs from across the political spectrum vote with me to move this Bill forward."

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A graph showing the number of commercial dog imports over time (Image: Contributed) The MP's team said: "Pet mutilations, such as ear cropping, tail docking, and declawing, are still widespread in the UK despite such cruel procedures being illegal. Why? Import of animals that have already had these procedures is still legal.

"Not only does this create a market for mutilated animals in the UK leading to a flow of animals being transported to the UK under inhumane conditions, but it allows domestic abusers to claim animals were imported even if the procedures had been carried out locally. The best way to end the abuse is to shut down the import loophole. Danny Chambers intends to introduce new legislation to do exactly that."

The British Veterinary Association, the RSPCA and Dogs Trust are backing the legislation.

Mr Chambers said: “As a vet, I've treated many dogs with cruelly cropped ears or docked tails, leaving them physically scarred and emotionally traumatised. There is no excuse for these mutilations in the 21st Century.

“But this bill is about more than animal welfare. We’re also protecting public health because dogs that have been smuggled into the UK could be carrying terrifying diseases that affect humans, such as rabies. 

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“By taking advantage of policy loopholes, criminals have been able to traffic vulnerable animals into the UK. This gap in the system has caused the suffering of thousands of innocent animals. As a vet, I think it is time we close this loophole, stop it from being exploited by organised criminals, and put an end to this cruel trade once and for all.”

Although mutilating dogs and cats has been illegal in the UK for over a decade, a troubling loophole has allowed the continued sale of mutilated animals with cropped ears, docked tails or declawed paws.

In order to avoid prosecution, criminals simply claim that the animal in question was imported already mutilated and that the mutilation procedure did not take place in the UK. This gap in the system has caused the suffering of thousands of innocent animals.