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UK online retailers remove ear cropping kits
"The swift and positive action by the two major retailers is a small but significant animal welfare win for our #CutTheCrop campaign" - Dr Justine Shotton.
eBay has responded after the BVA rose concerns over DIY kits. 

'DIY' dog ear cropping and ear straightening kits have been removed from two major UK online retailers after the British Veterinary Association (BVA) raised concerns earlier this month.

Dr Justine Shotton, BVA President, wrote to eBay UK to flag listings for ear cropping kits sold on their website, and share veterinary and animal welfare concerns about the illegal practice of ear cropping.

Dr Shotton explained: “We took action after being made aware by a few vets about the availability of ear cropping kits on eBay UK. 

“Our research also found a number of listings for ear straightening accessories being sold via several other major online websites.”

Etsy UK and Amazon UK were also contacted to share concerns about the availability of ear straightening or correcting accessories, which have the potential to compromise dogs' welfare. 

Both eBay and Etsy took action to remove the kits after being contacted, and in its response, eBay promised to update its filters and algorithms globally to filter out ear cropping products. Amazon UK has not yet responded to the BVA's letter. 

“The swift and positive action by the two major retailers is a small but significant animal welfare win for our #CutTheCrop campaign,” said Dr Shotton. 

“While the Government has promised action to close the legal loophole that allows cropped dogs to be brought into the country from abroad, the availability of such accessories online remains hard to tackle.

“I’d encourage vets and members of the public to download and use our new template letter to raise concerns with retailers if they come across similar listings online in the future. Where such functionality exists, they may also use the websites’ online reporting mechanism to log a complaint.”

The BVA's template letter is available to download here. 

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Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

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News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.