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Puppy farming e-petition hits target
Marc Abraham launched the e-petition against puppy farming earlier this year.
Cruel trade to be debated in parliament in 2014

A government e-petition, opened by TV vet Marc Abraham to tackle puppy farming, has smashed its target of 100,000 signatures and will be debated in the House of Commons next year.

Started just six months ago, the petition urges the government to "ban the sale of young puppies and kittens without their mothers being present". It became the UK's No. 1 government e-petition earlier this month.

Speaking after the e-petition reached its target, Marc said: "Now we've smashed our target of 100,000 signatures in just 6 months, a parliamentary debate on puppy farming is guaranteed in the spring; so please all start lobbying your local MPs to vote to prohibit the sale of puppies and kittens without their mums as a first major step in stopping puppy farming.

Marc launched the community interest company, Pup Aid, in 2010 to raise public awareness of the puppy and kitten trade. An annual Pup Aid event is held in London and the campaign has attracted support from numerous celebrities, including Brian May, Ricky Gervais and Liam Gallagher.

Asked about the campaign's plans for next year, Marc said to MRCVSonline: "2014 is looking like an important and exciting year for UK animal welfare…

"On behalf of my excellent PupAid team and I, we really can't thank everyone enough who's supported PupAid, the dog show in Primrose Hill, and of course the petition - it just goes to show what can be achieved if we all work together to help animals."

For further updates on the campaign, please visit www.pupaid.org, follow @pupaid on Twitter, and Pup Aid on Facebook, or sign the petition here.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49528

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Petition launched to tackle puppy farming

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.