Up to nine in ten UK puppies may come from outside licensed breeding system, charity finds

Up to nine in ten puppies in the UK may come from outside the licensed breeding system, according to a new investigation that has prompted calls for ministers to act on their promise to “end puppy farming”.

Naturewatch Foundation estimates that just 10.5 to 14 per cent of UK puppies come from licensed breeders, leaving an estimated 86 to 89.5 per cent coming from other sources.

Those sources may include breeders who are legally exempt from licensing because they fall below the threshold, as well as illegal breeders and puppy smuggling operations. Being outside the licensed system does not, by itself, mean a breeder is breaking the law.

The charity’s findings are based on Freedom of Information requests sent to 390 local authorities across the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2026. It received responses from 98.2 per cent of them.

The investigation also found that around 17,395 female dogs were recorded for licensed breeding in the UK, more than 5,500 fewer than in Naturewatch Foundation’s 2025 research. The charity said the figures raised questions about what had happened to dogs no longer recorded in the system.

Most licensed breeders were found to keep 10 or fewer breeding dogs. But 27 were permitted to keep more than 50, with around two-thirds of those larger operations in the Republic of Ireland.

In Great Britain, the largest licensed breeder identified was authorised by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk to keep 88 female and 12 male dogs for breeding. Three establishments in Northern Ireland were licensed to keep 200 breeding dogs each, while the largest identified in the Republic of Ireland was licensed for 300.

The research found that 60 local authorities, including 36 in England, had no licensed dog breeders registered in their areas.

Naturewatch Foundation is urging the UK Government to bring forward the consultation on dog breeding regulation in England promised in its December 2025 Animal Welfare Strategy for England.

Natalie Harney, the charity’s campaign manager, said: “We're deeply concerned that so much of the puppy trade continues to take place outside of regulation. While the current system is far from perfect, that regulation exists to promote animal welfare and provides some level of oversight and accountability.

“The reality is that we have very little visibility of where most puppies are coming from, how they are being bred or the conditions in which they and their parents are being kept. That uncertainty creates risks not only for dogs, but also for the public.

“These findings paint a worrying picture about the UK puppy trade and show why the government must urgently move forward with its commitment to end puppy farming. Dogs are cherished members of many families and they all deserve the best possible start in life.”