BBC drops Crufts over breeds dispute

The BBC has announced it will not televise Crufts next year in a dispute over the inclusion of certain breeds of pedigree dog.

The broadcaster said it was dropping coverage of the world-famous dog show held in Birmingham pending further investigation into the health and wellbeing of pedigree breeds in the UK. The BBC has broadcast the show, which now attracts more than 27,000 dogs and more than 150,000 visitors to the NEC over its four-day run, every year since 1966.

But concerns about the health of dogs appearing in shows were highlighted in a BBC documentary earlier this year, which claimed the breeding process used to produce pedigree animals had resulted in a high incidence of inherited genetic disease.

Animal welfare charities the RSPCA and the PDSA decided to suspend their involvement with next year's event because of concerns raised about dog health and welfare.

The Kennel Club accused the BBC of imposing "insupportable conditions" on the show, which did not take into account measures the club had put in place to improve the health of pedigree dogs.

The organisers also said judges would be trained to help ensure all dogs being awarded prizes are healthy representatives of their breed.

Zarah Whatnall, 27, from Bilston breeds Siberian Huskeys. She hit out at the BBC today, saying their stance paints breeders in a bad light. She said: "Not all breeders are the same and this makes us look bad.

"I, like a lot of breeders, am really careful about my dogs, if you trace back the pedigrees and make sure you don't cross lines then it is fine."

She added: "This makes it sound like all breeders are the same and most of us are very careful. It's a real shame."

The Kennel Club has also carried out a review of each of the 209 pedigree breeds in the UK which led to the announcement of revised standards for the breeds.

The broadcaster said it remained keen to continue discussions with the Kennel Club, with a view to reviewing the effects of the changes.

The first Crufts was held at the Royal Agricultural Hall, in Islington, London, in 1891.