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<p>The Government abhors the mistreatment of animals, including organised dog fighting.
It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to be involved in or to promote
animal fighting including dog fighting. The Government has announced it will increase
the maximum custodial penalty for animal cruelty, including animal fighting, from
six months to five years’ imprisonment and legislation will be introduced as soon
as possible.</p><p> </p><p>In relation to online advertising of pets and other animals,
the Government has worked with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG - a group
of animal welfare, veterinary and animal keeping interests) who promote the responsible
advertising of pet animals. Five online animal adverting platforms have adopted PAAG’s
minimum standards for advertising animals which are endorsed by the Government. The
minimum standards include that the websites run automated checks for key words and
terms such as banned dog breeds, and filter for misleading or inappropriate adverts
which are then removed. The websites must exclude any advert where there is a reasonable
concern for the health and welfare of the animal involved and provide a clearly visible
function for purchasers to report illegal or inappropriate adverts. The Government
will continue to work with PAAG to encourage more online advertising platforms to
sign up to PAAG’s minimum standards.</p>
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