Electric Shock Collars
We are a nation of animal lovers and animal welfare has been a priority of every Conservative Government over the last decade. Rebecca has always been the proud owner of rescue dogs and knows the joy they bring to family life, which is why she will be supporting the forthcoming ban on the use of electric shock collars on cats and dogs in England.
Rebecca has supported every Government Bill to improve animal welfare since 2010. Since then, on farms, we have introduced new regulations for minimum standards for meat chickens, banned the use of conventional battery cages for laying hens and made CCTV mandatory in slaughterhouses in England. For pets, we have introduced microchipping, which became mandatory for dogs in 2015; we have modernised our licensing system for activities such as dog breeding and pet sales; we have protected service animals via Finn’s Law, and we have banned commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens. In 2019, the Wild Animals in Circuses Act became law and we have also led work to implement humane trapping standards by banning glue traps. In 2021, the Government launched the world-leading Action Plan for Animal Welfare setting out a huge array of reforms. The Conservative Party have done more than any other on animal welfare, delivering on a manifesto that was drafted with the public’s priorities in mind.
As a Government Whip, Rebecca also assisted colleagues introducing Private Members’ Bills that have continually improved animal welfare. Including the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill to prohibit the import of hunting trophies, the Shark Fins Act 2023 to prohibit the import and export of shark fins and the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Bill to prohibit the sale and advertising of low welfare activities abroad.
In 2018, the Government ran a consultation on the use of electric collars and found that alternative positive reward training can be used just as effectively to improve a dog’s behaviour and confirmed that work would be completed to see them banned in England. It is entirely wrong that these can be used up to two miles away from an animal that cannot be seen and does harm their welfare entirely unnecessarily and unprovoked.
The Conservative Government presented the Animal Welfare (Electric Collars) (England) Regulations 2023 before Parliament, which Rebecca supported. This aimed to make it an offence to attach an electric collar to a cat or dog and be in possession of a remote-control device designed to activate one. This law has not yet passed.
Rebecca supported these improvements and the Conservative Governments record in animal welfare. Banning keeping primates as pets, introducing the pet abduction as a specific criminal offence, increasing penalties for animal cruelty, banning the export of livestock for slaughter or fattening, and recognised animal sentience in law, through the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022. Through these regulations the Conservative Government has helped protect animals from being kept in poor conditions, separated from their mothers at a young age and deprived of human or animal interaction.
Cropping Dogs' Ears
Rebecca has also received several emails about cropping dogs’ ears. The practice of non-exempted mutilations such as cropping dogs' ears is abhorrent and has rightly been banned in the UK for 15 years. The cropping of a dog’s ears is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Now that the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 has come into force, anyone convicted of such an offence, faces being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.
As of 2025, the importation of dogs with non-exempted mutilations such as cropped ears or docked tail is now illegal. This is part of the larger Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill.
Dangerous Dogs Review
It is now a criminal offence to own or possess an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless you have a valid Certificate of Exemption. It is also an offence to:
- Sell an XL Bully dog
- Abandon an XL Bully dog or let it stray
- Give away an XL Bully dog
- Breed or breed from an XL Bully dog
- Have an XL Bully in public without a lead and muzzle.
It is against the law to let dogs be dangerously out of control anywhere, including your own home. A dog is considered dangerously out of control if it injures or make someone worried it will injure another person. A court may consider a dog to be dangerous if it also attacks another animal or the owner of another animal is worried they will be injured if they attempt to prevent their animal being harmed.
You can get an unlimited fine or 6 months imprisonment if your dog is dangerously out of control. If you let your dog injure another person, then you can face up to 5 years in prison and if you allow your dog to kill another person then you will face up to 14 years imprisonment.
It is a criminal offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to own, sell, abandon, give away or breed certain types of dogs – Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro.
If you have a banned dog, the police or local council dog warden can take it away and keep it, even if it is not acting dangerously and there has not been a complaint. A police or council dog expert will judge what type of dog you have and whether it is, or could be, a danger to the public. Your dog will then either be released or kept in kennels while the police or council apply to a court.
If your dog is banned but the court thinks it’s not a danger to the public, it may put it on the Index of Exempt Dogs. Owners are given a Certificate of Exemption. This is valid for the life of the dog. It must be neutered, microchipped, kept on a lead and always muzzled when in public and kept in a secure place so it cannot escape. The owner must take out insurance against the dog injuring other people, be aged over 16, show the Certificate of Exemption when asked by a police officer or council dog warden, either at the time or within 5 days and let the Index of Exempt Dogs know of a change of address or the dog’s death.
Essex Police are responsible for dangerous and prohibited dogs. Please call Essex Police on 101 if you have any concerns about a dangerous dog.
Breed Specific Legislation:
Rebecca recognises that many people are opposed to the prohibitions placed on the four types of banned dogs due to breed-specific legislation. However, the Government must balance the views of those who want to repeal or amend this with the responsibility to ensure that the public is properly protected from dog attacks. Any dog can become dangerous if it is kept by irresponsible owners in the wrong environment, which is why the Act covers any type of dog that is dangerously out of control.
Pit Bull types are powerful dogs which have been traditionally bred in the UK for dog fighting. Data gathered from 2005 onwards on fatal dog attacks show that pit bulls were involved in around one in six tragic incidents, despite the prohibitions that we have in place that have significantly limited the numbers of pit bulls in the UK.
Furthermore, according to information from the Metropolitan Police, nearly 20% of dogs found to be dangerously out of control in Greater London were pit bulls. Dog attacks can have horrific consequences for victims and families.
The last Conservative Government, therefore, considered that a lifting of the restrictions on these types of dogs would more likely result in an increase in dog attacks, rather than contributing to any reduction in such incidents. This position was supported by the police.
Regarding the welfare of seized dogs in commercial kennels, all kennels that operate as commercial businesses must be licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Specific welfare standards are set out in the supporting statutory guidance notes, which aim to improve consistency in interpretation and application of the licensing regime across England. It is for local authorities to use the powers of inspection and licensing to implement the regime.
The last Conservative Government was always seeking to learn from the implementation of legislation and make improvements where necessary. The 2018 Regulations are now due to be reviewed, and this will be an opportunity to re-examine the standards and the associated guidance and can consider any changes.
There are options available to owners of these dog breeds. The Dangerous Dogs Exemption Schemes (England and Wales) Order 2015 sets out that once the relevant Chief Officer of Police is satisfied about the dog’s temperament and suitability of its owner then it can be placed on the interim exemption scheme. Defra officials are working with the police to assess current take up of the scheme and explore any barriers that may act as a deterrent to take up. Once the understanding of these barriers is established then Ministers will be working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to address these and encourage greater use of the interim exemption scheme where this is appropriate.
It is the responsibility of DEFRA to change the law around dangerous dogs, and this page will be updated in due course following any further Government announcements.
Future Legislation
Rebecca has received lots of correspondence on the Government's plans for the Kept Animals Bill. But the Government has already confirmed they plan to take forward each of the measures and regulations contained within the legislation as separate laws through Parliament. This means further measures will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows that involves banning live exports for fattening and slaughter, banning the import of pregnant or mutilated dogs, regulating primate keeping standards and new measures for tackling livestock worrying. Rebecca will be supporting each of these measures as they are brought forward.