Northern Ireland puppy dealer told to pay £185,000 tax

This puppy was one of 27 seized in Cairnryan in Scotland after being smuggled from Ireland

A puppy dealer in Northern Ireland has been told to pay £185,000 in tax, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed.

HMRC has been targeting breeders across the UK rearing thousands of pups in unregulated conditions and selling them illicitly every year.

It has recovered £5,393,035 in lost taxes from 257 separate cases since the formation of a taskforce in 2015.

Among them is unnamed dealer in NI told to pay £185,000.

The dealers sell puppies on a mass scale and for a huge profit, but do not declare their sales.

• Tax-dodging puppy farmers targeted in HMRC operation

HMRC is also involved in Operation Delphin - a multi-agency collaboration across the UK and Ireland

According to the Scottish Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, thousands of puppies are brought into the country every year "particularly from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland".

"It is a multi-million pound industry and many of these poor dogs are bred on large scale puppy farms with little to no regard for their welfare," the SPCA said.

"We have seized 27 puppies smuggled from Ireland at Cairnryan Port in Dumfries and Galloway as part of Operation Delphin, which is dedicated to ending the illegal puppy dealing industry and bringing those who prioritise profits over animal welfare to justice.

"It's a barbaric trade which commands huge profit from selling puppies. Often these puppies are kept in appalling conditions and this leads to injuries, health issues and behavioural problems.

"Some are so far gone that they pass away from complications due to the way they are bred and kept."