Petition · past parliament · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Change the law to prevent the sales of live animals in pet stores.
Closed
556 signatures
What the petition asks
Change the law to prevent the sale of live animals (classed as 'pets') in pet stores and also to prevent pet stores paying breeders to provide animals for sale.
Instead require local and national pet store licensing regulations to include adoption centre information as a matter of course.
Instead require local and national pet store licensing regulations to include adoption centre information as a matter of course.
The introduction of Lucy's Law in 2020 meant that puppies and kittens can only be sold by registered breeders or requires potential owners to consider adoption. There is no such protection for animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, gerbils etc. The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill currently being debated shows that animals currently on sale in pet stores have sentience, in the same way as cats and dogs. We ask therefore that the Government affords the same protection to these other animals.
Timeline
| 21 Feb 2022 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 21 Aug 2022 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
556
Status
Closed
Department
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Opened
21 Feb 2022
Closed
21 Aug 2022
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.