http://www.edms.org.uk/2010-2011/1424.htm

Please ask you MP to sign - I will of course ask mine but he NEVER ever signs Early Day motions on any animal welfare issue. Mark Francious shame on you if you decide to not sign this, as within your constituency you have at least three premises with a pet shop licence selling puppies. One very well known and due to appear in Court next week for sentancing, no thanks to my MPs assistance in getting this far with years of campaigning.   

Looks like mine has signed already. Well done Mike Hancock!

Mine has too.  Not a lot I agree with her on but she's got this one right. ;)

Mine hasn't Steve Brine! but Im hopeful we need to stop this practice its so awful.

While I would love to see puppy sales from pet shops and 3rd parties banned, I'm not sure I like the wording of this EDM - to me,  licensed breeders are those who have to be registered by their local authority because they churn out so many litters a year. Many puppy farms are licensed breeders.

> Looks like mine has signed already. Well done Mike Hancock!

Sounds like you live near my old home! Mike Hancock has always been good on animal welfare issues.

This link is useful to find your MP and their email address   http://www.writetothem.com/ 

I was informed that mine cannot sign EDMs as he is a government minster.  Got my name wrong in their reply too :-(

I have the same problem as our MP is the PM !

This reminded me however that I sent something to him a few years ago concerning a petition that I wanted his help on concerning puppy farming.

This was his response and it states their position on it at the time when they were the Opposition.

I am tempted to get back in touch to see what the Governments stance is on this now they are in the driving seat.

Hi Lucy

Thank you for your email.  I have chased up the Minister's Office today for a reply.  With regards to David signing the petition on puppy farming I am afraid as Leader of the Opposition he is unable to do this.  However please do find his response on puppy farming below.

Kind regards, *************


I can fully appreciate your concerns.  I believe that those who breed dogs commercially, like every animal owner, should have a duty of care to their animals and must ensure that they exceed the minimum welfare levels required by the State.
As you are aware the Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force in March 2007. The Act is a very welcome measure and goes a long way to protect Britain's animals. Specifically, the Act places a 'duty of care' on all animal owners to ensure that their pets' welfare needs are attended to.

My party and I have always believed in ensuring that the highest standards of animal welfare are met. We also believe that it is vital that the same standards are enforced equally and simultaneously across the European Union and actively encouraged in other countries.
Thank you for contacting me about this important issue.


******************
Research Assistant to David Cameron MP
West Oxfordshire Conservative Association
01993 770700
Disclaimer:
This e-mail is confidential to the intended recipient. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system. Any unauthorised use, disclosure, or copying is not permitted. This e-mail has been checked for viruses, but no liability is accepted for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this e-mail.

-----Original Message-----
From: **********************
Sent: 19 November 2008 10:54
To: *******************
Subject: RE: Security Clearance Problems

Hi*********
I was wondering if David had recieved anything back from Peter Mandleson yet ?
I was also wondering if David had any views on the petiton lnk below as it is something I feel very strongly about and if he had time whether he was willing to back this as well.This is a message I got from one of the ladies backing the petition and would very much welcome David to support this.
Many thanks
Lucy

web site http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Puppy-Farming/

 

> Many puppy farms are licensed breeders.

Many of us here would consider anyone breeding enough to needing to be Licensed is one ;)

There have been a few comments on the licensed breeder part elsewhere. EDMs are for a debate in parliament though and the important thing is the ban on third party sales. The details of any new legislation would be worked out later. I have the same problem that my MP can't sign these EDMs.

I've sent a request to our MP to sign.

Me too.

My MP refuses to sign all EDMs  :(  He is actually the most useless MP I have ever had! I have given up writing to him. Writing to another one is not an option, as etiquette doesn't allow them to respond to constituents  who are in another's constituency. PM is now my lobbying choice and he of course can't sign EDMs anyway.

I've just checked and mine hasn't, but I have just written to him now in the hope that this is an oversight and that he will sign and encourage his colleagues to do the same.

Please ask you MP to sign

Pat, I've just had a two page letter back from my MP, a waste of paper and stamp if ever there was one. It is obviously a form letter which extols at length the great things his party are doing in terms of animal welfare and conservation (!!!!), both nationally and internationally (!!!!) and ends with a smug reassurance that in the view of his party the current legislation is deemed wholly satisfactory--but of course they remain in contact with NGOs and quangos to ensure that consultation on these issues remains effective.

I try to avoid labelling people just because they cluster under blue, red, green or orange banners, but this just happens to be a Conservative MP. So what I want to know, before I take a moment to write back to him, is whether it is party policy not to sign EDMs originating from an MP of a different party (surely idiotic, but there only 2 Conservatives who have signed out of the 29), or whether Conservative policy on and awareness of animal welfare is so weak that they really think the RSPCA are doing a great job (which is pretty much what he is saying). Any thoughts appreciated.

I have had a letter back from my MP, with a lot of waffle about the Breeding and Sale of Dog act reforms. At the very end he says ' I don't sign early day motions, they are meaningless and a complete waste of time'.  So, I am going to email him again and ask for an explanation as to why they are meaningless and if they are, why are they wasting my money on them!

I've just had a very similar letter from mine; "Members of the Government do not, by convention, sign any Early Day Motions", then a load of faff about the existing legislation; finishing up with "The Government believes that the existing legislation provides the necessary protection for the welfare of dogs, including the commercial breeding and selling of dogs, which is subject to licensing, as well as more general welfare provisions in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. There are therefore no proposals to ban the sale of puppies from pet shops."

Most unsatisfactory. Guess who's going to be getting a long letter in reply ... ;-)

Anyone writing to their MPs again could include the link to the latest BBC Wales programme that is available on Puppy Love. This shows how the councils are not enforcing the current legislation on dog breeding let alone the Animal Welfare Act.

http://www.puppylovecampaigns.org/investigations.shtml

Hi

I got the exact same letter from my MP saying that as a Whip he couldn't sign EDM's for fear of compromising his position and waffling on about existing legislation being more than adequate. 

Perhaps (I say perhaps) the legislation may be adequate but then one has to ask why all these cruel and horrid practices are allowed to happen.  Either the legislation is woefully inadequate or those tasked with enforcing/regulating it need a wake up call and need to follow the Law.

I think it'll be worth mentioning that many of the puppies in pet shops are imported from Ireland (Ulster and Eire) and therefore the (unenforced) regulations do not apply to their production.

Very good point JG, I will include that in my reply (which I haven't had time to do yet).