The Kennel club have requested the government to give them statutory powers to enforce all Pedigree dog breeders in uk to join their accredited breeders scheme.This will mean anyone breeding and/or selling dogs outside of the kennel club scheme will be unlawful (illegal) This cannot be allowed to happen as it will give the Kennel club a monopoly on dog registrations and also have control over everyone who breeds dogs in the uk to breed and sell only under their rules.An early day motion has been passed through government already.If the kc get these powers it is taking away the publics freedom of choice and rights.All this has come about because of the BBC documentary 'Pedigree Dogs Exposed'which was very damaging to the Kennel club and now they are trying to become the 'official'governing body of the Dog world.This will put many many good breeders out of business. Please sign this petition to stop them having statutory powers now!

I wonder why they are objecting to this,the mind boggles would it be because this would be the end of the Dog Lovers RIP OFF CLUB! And there possible loss of revenue from puppy farmers.
I for one won't be signing it.

It probably will be the end of them simply because if they do not have a monopoly on dog registration and breeding, another party will be officially appointed that right at some point in the future. I would have thought that most pedigree dog breeders would be happier under a KC regime than an RSPCA one.

I'm not familiar with all the ins and outs of the ABS, but it appears currently that although some basic health testing is a requirement, it still allows individuals to undertake unscrupulous breeding practices. The KC need to take on and implement the recommendations of decent breeders and refine the ABS system to make it something that actually has a value to it.

The Phrase it will put good breeders out of business makes me smile,Good breeders will always register pups with the KC and don't see breeding has a business.

The only people who see breeding as a business are BYB and PF's,I would be happy for it to be illegal to sell puppies outside of the KC Scheme,maybe then the BYB and PF's will go out of business.

I went to the Kennel Club Roadshow at their new place in Stoneleigh a few weeks ago and a lot of good suggestions were made by the audience in regard to improving the ABS. The KC representatives there perhaps initially seemed a bit put off by the attacks of their system, but then began to take onboard peoples' requests for improvements.

Interestingly, they have struck off a reasonable number of ABS breeders for failing to adhere to the mandatory criteria.

That's good to hear,Breeders should be struck off if they fail to adhere to the criteria set out.

The irony is that they can't name and shame said breeders, which would help raise their public profile, as they would most likely face legal proceedings from the defamed breeders.

I will try and explain why this, to me at least, is such an objectionable move.
It would put a private members club - that is to say a club run by its members for the benefit of those members - in a monopoly position with regard to breeding. That is if I am reading the bit about making breeders breed and sell under their rules correctly. Far from agreeing with this I find it amazing that such a move would be considered given that the KC is directly responsible for many of the problems that dogs suffer from today with its pursuit of completely bogus breed standard conditions that are just another word for fashion.
I have no problem with the KC being the sole register of dogs in the UK. If people find that important then that is up to them. The other registers are not on a par in the publics eye anyway. My objection is that an un-accountable, non-elected body, with a bad track record anyway, is not the organisation to be put in charge of anything - especially me!!!!.
Those who seek power should, under no circumstances, be given it.
If anybody is to be given this remit then I would favour the RSPCA as it is both a charity and independent.
I WILL BE SIGNING.....

As far as I can see, only those who do not wish to breed dogs from proven, known pedigrees (therefore known problems within those lines) or health test properly have anything to complain about.

This sounds similar to what they do in Sweden, where virtualyl no dogs end up in rescue.

Excellent move forward for the KC, if they maybe refine their AB scheme a bit. It is in effect making sure that KC reg. is actually a sign of quality. At least to some extent anyway.

Sorry, I may have gotten the wrong end of the stick here. Not the first (or last) time. Let me ask if I am understanding this correctly. Would this mean that ONLY pedigree (KC) dogs could be legally bred?

I haven't read the details on the KC site yet, but according to what Sal has posted, that seems to be the case. DLRC don't register crossbreeds anyway. (well, they say they don't.... )