A South Holland dog breeder says Government and district council legislation has made her a prisoner in her own home
A dog breeder says a mix-up over new legislation has made her a ‘prisoner’ in her own home.
Sue Clements (62) lives in South Holland with her partner and is considered a specialist breeder of Havanese, the national dog of Cuba.
However, she says her hobby turned into a nightmare after new regulations which came into effect under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 meant she was re-defined as a commercial business.
Mrs Clements was granted a licence by South Holland District Council in 2018 and has grown frustrated by a lack of communication with the authority over its consequences in years since.
She said: “I had mine enforced on me. They told me that I was getting a license and when I explained everything to them, they said ‘I know, but you’re having one anyway’.”
Mrs Clements fears a line in the document that states ‘a competent person must be on site at all times’ at dog breeding premises means she is unable to leave the house in case she is prosecuted.
“This is government legislation gone completely wrong,” she said.
“At the end of the day, the licence that they’ve introduced doesn’t work. I’m a prisoner, and I shouldn’t be a prisoner.
“I have to work under Section 10 because that’s the one they’ve given me. Effectively, it makes me a prisoner in my own home.
“I’m not allowed to work. How, when I have no income? I can’t go out and get another job. If I pay somebody to come here, I wouldn’t make anything because I’d have to pay them.
“There is something wrong here.”
The legislation states that breeders who have a view of making a profit or who earn commissions from their activities should be classed as a business.
However, Mrs Clements says she shouldn’t even fall under that bracket.
She said: “Everything I do for the dogs I claim expenses for, because that’s the nature of the hobby. By the time I’ve done all that, my finances are going to be on a minus. I’m not going to make anything at all.
“We don’t do it for income or a living. We usually have another side job, which is our personal income.
“The income is for the dogs, not for me personally.
“Just because I’ve got four dogs in my house doesn’t mean I’m going to breed four litters a year. I don’t do that. I have one when I need the money to keep the show
team going or something like that.
“The council says the licence still stands even though I’ve made a loss this year, so what am I supposed to do for income this year?
“To be able to afford the conditions of this licence, I would have to have at least three to four litters every year continuously. How many dogs would that be?
“The district council won’t talk to me about it. They don’t care that they’re basically keeping me prisoner. They’re not bothered that they’ve broken my human rights.
“Originally, I hadn’t even sold a puppy for 14 months. Then they clobbered me for a licence before I’d even made a sale. So I was already forced into business.
“I’m not here to slag anyone off. I just want to make people in South Holland aware of this.”
South Holland District Council were approached for comment, but were unable to provide one in time for our press deadline.