Blue Cross, the pet charity, recently met with Royal Sutton Coldfield’s MP to discuss their recent report ‘Unpicking the Knots’.

The report highlighted concerns around the enforcement of the current licensing system for the breeding and sale of pets across the UK and Blue Cross discussed the local data they had gathered as part of their research for the report

Research by the charity found evidence of large scale puppy sellers online and calculations show that one seller, operating out of the Birmingham area could be making potential untaxed profits of between £358,000 and £1,432,000 over two years with no regard for animal welfare or accountability to buyers.

Becky Thwaites, Head of Public Affairs for Blue Cross, said: “We had a very positive meeting with Mr Mitchell about the findings of our report and it was great to get his support on the issues it highlighted.”

“We hope that by highlighting the huge scale of the problem in our report we can encourage Government to make the vital changes needed to improve the welfare of pets bred and sold across the UK.”

Following the meeting, Mr Mitchell said: “Many of us in the Royal Town are deeply attached to our pets and it is heart-wrenching to even imagine the conditions that some poor creatures suffer. Blue Cross is to be congratulated for their work in highlighting these issues.”

“I know from my postbag that many of my constituents are concerned about lenient sentencing for animal cruelty. I look forward to working with Blue Cross to ensure that cruelty to animals is dealt with through proper legal sanction.”

The Blue Cross report, ‘Unpicking the Knots’, can be found here.