Carmarthenshire County Council has been praised by Senedd Members for its stance on illegal dog breeding, as MS's call for other councils to follow suit.

South Wales East MS Delyth Jewell has implored Caerphilly Council to enhance actions against the illegal dog breeding in the county, whilst praising Carmarthenshire.

Ms Jewell said: "I'd like to congratulate Carmarthenshire County Council for the work that they've done on this issue.

"They announced a review of the breeding of illegal dogs in the area by the council cabinet, and I understand that they are the first local authority in Wales to do this, so all praise is due to them."

Ms Jewell said that research from RSPCA Cymru indicated that complaints related to dog breeding were high in the region in 2022, with Carmarthenshire and Cardiff being areas with the most calls to RSPCA about dog breeding and Caerphilly coming in third place.

Proudly, she acknowledged both Carmarthenshire and Caerphilly as the only Welsh authorities to go the legal route against this issue in 2022, which included prosecutions.

Rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths responded in the Senedd that the capacity to probe and deter illegal breeding has greatly increased over recent years as a result of the Welsh Government-funded local authority enforcement project.

She said that officials often confer with Animal Licensing Wales for updates and that every local authority should have the chance to conduct inspections at dog breeding premises.

Mrs Griffiths said: "And I think those visits, in particular, have led to a big change at the premises that have been visited."

Billie-Jade Thomas, RSPCA Cymru's senior public affairs manager, said: "RSPCA Cymru has long been concerned about the extent of illegal dog breeding in Wales, as this unethical practice can have significant consequences for animal welfare."

She continued with a call for unity amongst Welsh councils in an endeavour to confront the severe welfare issues resulting from the unlicensed breeding of puppies for profit.