American XL Bully dogs to be banned by the end of the year says PM

Speaking on X (formally twitter) the Prime Minister said that it was “clear the American XL Bully dog is a danger to our communities”.

Mr Sunak said he was ordering work to legally define the breed behind the recent attacks so they can be banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

The ban would take effect across the UK, including Wales.

Welsh Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths welcomed the UK Government’s announcement that it is to ban the American Bully XL by the end of the year.

The Minister said: “I welcome today’s news that steps are at last being taken to deal with the American Bully XL dog, following a number of attacks and fatalities. I have written to the UK Government over many years asking them to address the number of incidents involving American XL Bully Breeds, and to look at how the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 can be improved. Just this week I raised the matter again with the DEFRA Secretary of State and I look forward to seeing the detail of the measures.

“My officials will work closely with UK Government to ensure the ban does not negatively affect public safety, dog welfare or pressure on the wider animal welfare sector

“Promotion of responsible dog ownership is a priority for the Welsh Government and our Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs outlines the obligations on owners to keep their dogs under control. Our Programme for Government includes several measures that will improve standards of dog breeding and keeping in Wales.

“We will continue to keep under constant review what we can do here in Wales to prevent the dangers posed by irresponsible dog ownership, while promoting the benefits that dogs can bring to society.”

Welsh Conservative Shadow Rural Affairs Minister Samuel Kurtz MS said: “The rise in heartbreaking and horrific attacks on members of the public as a result of this dangerous dog breed has been a concerning issue for some time.

“It is encouraging news that the Prime Minister has today outlined the process of banning the dangerous XL Bully breed.

“The Welsh Conservatives share the Prime Minister’s shock in the increasing number of dog attacks in the UK and are hopeful that as a result of his decisive action we will see an end to these vicious attacks.”

(Lead image: Juan Botti, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)