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Campaigners are challenging Controversial ban on XL bully dogs Their appeal court bid has been rejected, with the government upholding the decision. Add breed to Dangerous Dog Act,
Director of the group Don’t Ban Me, License Me and Sophie Coulthard Legal action launched against the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) after owning an XL Bully dog without an exemption certificate Became a criminal offense in England and Wales In February 2024.
The change in the law means that unregistered pets can be taken away and owners can potentially be fined and prosecuted.
anyone holding up an exemption certificate Must also comply with strict requirements such as Microchipping and neutering your pet,
Campaigners argued that the ban was unlawful, citing “unreliable” content, lack of “proper” impact analysis and “vague” standards, putting individuals at risk of inadvertently committing crime.
While Mrs Justice Lang largely rejected his challenge, she found that the government failed to comply with its Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) during the assessment in September and October 2023.
However, they concluded that the outcome would not be “significantly different” had the true assessment been conducted later in May 2024.
The campaign group later appealed against part of the decision, but it was rejected on Friday.
In a written judgment, Lord Justice Singh, sitting with Dame Victoria Sharp and Lord Justice Warby, explained the legal position.
He said: “The judge considered that the Secretary of State had breached PSED before the orders were made, but he did not consider that the orders were ‘unlawful’. In fact his view was the opposite, as he refused to quash the orders.
“The result of the law is that the orders are valid and were valid in the period between February and May 2024.”
At least six in 10 fatal dog attacks in the UK in 2022 involved an XL Skunk.
According to Bully Watch, a group founded by a group of dog owners to monitor the breed, XLs were responsible for 45 percent of dog attacks on humans and other dogs in 2023, before the ban was implemented.
American XL Bullies are closely related to the Pit Bull Terrier and have been cross-bred with other breeds such as the English and American Bulldog.
This breed was the fifth species of dog banned in Britain under the Dangerous Dog Act, along with the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro.
It is against the law to keep, breed or sell dogs on a list prepared by Defra.