Conservative MPs are calling for action to tackle the horrific practice of ear cropping in dogs.
Ear cropping, illegal in the UK, is a barbaric procedure involving the removal or alteration of parts of a dog’s ears, often performed without anaesthesia or proper veterinary care. It provides no health benefits and can inflict immense suffering and long-term harm on dogs.
Although the practice has been illegal in the UK since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act in 2006, it has seen a troubling resurgence. The RSPCA reported a staggering 621% increase in cases of ear cropping between 2015 and 2020, highlighting the urgent need for stronger enforcement and legislation.
The glamourisation and normalisation of ear cropped dogs in media and entertainment further fuels demand for cropped dogs. Images in films such as Disney Pixar's “Up” in 2009 and Warner Animation Group and DC Entertainment’s “League of Super-Pets” in 2022, as well as a cropped dog recently winning 2025 Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club in the USA, reported in the UK media with no clarification or warning about the cropping procedure, all serve to normalise this mutilation. To educate the public about the harm caused by ear cropping, Conservative MPs are calling on news outlets and film studios to stop using images of cropped dogs or to include warnings about its illegality when such imagery is unavoidable. Twenty-two Conservative MPs, led by Shadow DEFRA and DCMS Ministers, have signed a joint open letter to media outlets and film studios calling for action.
Conservatives are also urging the Labour Government to implement measures as soon as possible to close all legal loopholes that allow this cruel practice to persist. The importation of mutilated dogs from countries where ear cropping remains legal is another major contributor to the prevalence of cropped ears. To combat this, the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets) Bill which aimed to ban the import of mutilated animals was introduced by former Conservative MP Selaine Saxby during the last Parliament. Although the Bill lapsed with the General Election, it has been reintroduced as a Private Members' Bill in this parliament and is co-sponsored by Dr Hudson, with widespread backing.
Despite its illegality, kits that facilitate ear cropping can be purchased online from international sellers, enabling individuals to perform this procedure at home, despite the practice being illegal in the UK. Recognising the urgent need to close this loophole, Shadow DEFRA Minister Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest and the first veterinary surgeon elected to the House of Commons since 1884, has also written to the Department for Business and Trade urging immediate action to restrict the sale of ear cropping kits online.
Shadow DEFRA Minister and veterinary surgeon, Dr Neil Hudson MP, said:
“As both a vet and an MP, I am deeply concerned by the rise in ear cropping cases. This practice is not only cruel but entirely unnecessary and serves no clinical benefit to the dog.
“We must act decisively to close loopholes, restrict imports of cropped dogs, and educate the public about the harm caused by this mutilation.
“I urge Government and media outlets and film studios to listen to our concerns and take swift action.”
