Description
Over the past two decades, the popularity of keeping herptiles (reptiles and amphibians) in England has grown significantly, with these animals widely available through pet shops, online forums, and classified websites. The Pet Animals Act 1951 previously ensured animal welfare in pet shops by requiring vendors to hold a license, subject to annual inspections. However, it did not clarify whether commercial breeders or online shops needed a license. Although the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 has now replaced outdated legislation to address these gaps, much of the online trade via classified websites (e.g., Pets4Homes) remains unregulated.This lack of regulation raises concerns for animal advocacy groups, as it can lead to poor animal care advice and impulse purchases compared to traditional pet shops. To address these issues, the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) was established to set rules for advert content on classified websites to protect animal welfare, however; participation from websites is voluntary and checking adherence relies on volunteers. With thousands of adverts posted at any given time, the extent of unlicensed commercial activity and PAAG rule violations remains unclear. This study aimed to assess these issues using a bespoke software solution (PetExSys), that was developed using innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
Over a 49-month period, 117,001 adverts were sampled from four popular classified websites. To automate the analysis of this large dataset, PetExSys was developed to process unstructured text and determine whether an advert represented a commercial or private vendor. Using key words identified by the system, adverts were categorised by vendor type. PetExSys flagged 49.9% of adverts as "grey areas," where it was unclear if the trade was commercial but possibly bypassing regulation. Additionally, 43-47% of adverts from PAAG-member websites were identified as violations of responsible selling rules.
While PAAG-member websites’ ability to self-regulate show some promise, they have yet to fully address the issue, despite having access to similar technology solutions like PetExSys. A legislative update requiring mandatory self-regulation could be beneficial. Although this study focused on herptiles, PetExSys can be applied to any species sold through classified adverts, potentially monitoring a large portion of the pet trade and easing the burden on animal advocacy groups and enforcement agencies. This research also demonstrates how technology can highlight areas where legislative reform is needed to better protect animal welfare.
| Period | 5 Jun 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | UK Centre for Animal Law Annual Conference 2025 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Birmingham , United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |