Last week in Switzerland, two breeders of flat-faced pedigree cats were convicted under a law that criminlises “Qualzucht”, which translates literally as “torture breeding”. Under this legislation, it's a crime to breed animals in the full knowledge that their offspring are likely to suffer. Many in the animal welfare community have started to ask if Qualzucht legislation in the UK could be a way of preventing the suffering endured by poorly bred pedigree animals in this country.

New website specifies increased risk of illness in some pedigree dogs

It's well recognised that many pedigree dogs and cats suffer because of their distorted body shape (such as flat faces and over-wrinkled skin) as well as enduring a higher incidence of certain illnesses compared to cross bred animals. A new website by the Royal Veterinary College provides an objective analysis of the issues. So far, only two dog breeds (Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Pugs) can be specifically reviewed but a cursory glance shows some startling facts: Cavaliers are nearly ten times more likely to suffer from heart disease and Pugs are more than ten times likely to have upper respiratory issues compared to “average” dogs.

Many young adult pets die of inherited diseases

There are many other examples of poor health in pedigree dogs: in the past week I've heard of a number of relatively young animals dying because of their breeding: a Doberman with heart failure, a Flat Coated Retriever with cancer and a Dachshund with disc disease. The owners of these dogs had no idea that their chosen breed had a high risk of suffering from these conditions. They now feel angry at the sad outcome, yet powerless to do anything about it.

Qualzucht laws would force breeders to be accountable

Perhaps the introduction of Qualzucht legislation could help? Even if criminal convictions were rare, the legislation could help people take civil actions seeking compensation for the financial costs of predictable inherited illness.

If cowboy breeders knew that they could be held accountable for the future health of the puppies they produce, wouldn't they be more careful to produce healthy animals?

There was an effort to introduce Qualzucht laws into the UK around a decade ago, as part of a package of Council of Europe conventions. The UK ratified four other conventions concerning animals: on transport, farm animals, experimentation and slaughtering. However the government refused to sign the European Convention on Pet Animal Welfare which aimed to promote the welfare of pet animals and ensure minimum standards for their treatment and protection. This refusal was partly because of lobbying by some in the pedigree dog breeding world who believed that their activities might be restricted by the elements of Qualzucht that the Convention introduced.

Now that Brexit is on the cards, there's no hope of this European Convention being signed. But perhaps it's time for Qualzucht to be brought into British law. The compulsory microchipping of dogs now makes it easy to pinpoint the identity of individual animals. It's now easy to legally specify the identity of every dog, along with their dam and sire.

Good breeders need not worry, but breeders who produce unhealthy pups might begin to pay attention if they knew that they could be held accountable for their actions.

Animals should never be born to suffer, Qualzucht legislation could be one way of stopping the worst excesses of “torture breeding”.

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