An end to puppy farming and a possible ban on shock collars for dogs are promised as part of a new animal welfare strategy the government is launching on Monday.
A strategy that combines new laws with legislative reforms and proposals will also evolve. The Labor Party's manifesto promises to ban trail hunting in rural areas.
The RSPCA has welcomed plans to outlaw puppy farming, but the Countryside Alliance condemned the trail hunting ban as “another attack on the countryside”.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds told the BBC there would be a consultation on the ban on trail hunting, which has “sometimes been used as a smokescreen” for illegal fox hunting.
Puppy farming is a term used when breeders prioritize profit over the health and welfare of the animals, often keeping large numbers of dogs in small pens and using them to produce multiple litters per year.
Current dog breeding practices will be reformed to tackle puppy farming as part of what the government calls the “biggest animal welfare reforms in a generation”.
However, the entire strategy will not be implemented until the end of 2030.
David Bowles, head of public affairs at the RSPCA, said the animal welfare charity is “delighted” with the strategy and added that plans to ban puppy farming “could be a real game-changer”.
“Puppy farming is one of the most insidious problems the RSPCA faces.
“The government will need to draft legislation next year and the RSPCA will work with it to make sure there are no loopholes,” he said.
The Government is also seeking to ban the use of trap traps in rural areas and confirmed on Sunday it intends to consult on a proposed ban on trail hunting in the New Year.
Trail hunting involves using a naturally scented rag to create a pre-hunt trail that the hounds then follow, but the pack may instead pick up the scents of live animals.
The Secretary of State told the BBC that while the Labor Party previously banned fox hunting in 2004, “we have seen people trying to get around this ban, in some cases using trail hunting.”
“Obviously this is also an enforcement issue, it's not just legislation, but we are committed to going further, which is why a trail hunting ban is included in the animal welfare strategy,” she said.
“We know that it is sometimes used as a smoke screen for fox hunting.”
But Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said it was “unbelievable” that the government would spend more parliamentary time on the hunt.
He said: “There is absolutely no need to return to this pointless and divisive issue.
“People in rural areas will be shocked that after Labour’s attack on family farms and its neglect of rural communities, they believe banning trail hunting and traps used to control foxes is a political priority.”
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake called the ban “an attack on the British countryside and British culture”, accusing the government of “punishing the law-abiding majority who support legal trail hunting”.
The government is also considering ending the use of “confinement systems” in agriculture, including caged hens and farrowing crates, which are used to house sows during birth and nursing.
The use of slow-growing chickens will be encouraged over the use of controversial so-called “Frankenkoors” – a term used by animal welfare activists to describe fast-growing breeds.
Anthony Field, chief executive of World Farming UK, said the government was “raising the bar on farm animal welfare”.
The National Pig Breeders Association said it would be “closely monitoring the next steps” for farrowing crates and was itself looking for more flexible systems.
The BBC has approached the British Poultry Council for comment.
