Brexit worries see drop in number of overseas dogs at Crufts

2020 has seen a 12 per cent drop in overseas entries

Dylan the Papillon, winner of Best in Show at Crufts in 2019 (OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

The number of overseas dogs taking part in this year’s Crufts has dropped substantially for the first time in 18 years, the Kennel Club has confirmed.

Organisers of the annual dog show have cited concerns amongst dog owners about possible restrictions on travelling with animals in a post-Brexit world.

2002 marked the first year that dogs could travel to the show under the Pet Travel Scheme, where people could transport their dogs between the UK, the EU and other designated countries using a pet passport, which required animals to have a microchip and valid rabies vaccination.

Since then, there has been a steady year-on-year increase in the number of foreign dogs competing in the event.

This year, however, has seen a 12 per cent drop in the number of overseas dogs competing, with just 3,171 animals participating, compared with 3,611 in 2019.

The largest drop in entries are from Sweden and France, although there was also a fall in contenders from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, the Czech Republic and Belgium.

Poland has seen a 38 per cent increase in entries, however, with a rise of 126 in 2019 to 174 in 2020.

In total, 42 countries will be competing in the event, which is due to take place at Birmingham’s NEC Arena from 5-8 March.

20,000 dogs will be competing for the prestigious Best in Show trophy, 16,525 of which are from the UK.

Bill Lambert, a spokesperson for the Kennel Club said: “Crufts is a British institution with a truly international feel and is a great celebration of dogs, regardless of where they live.

“As with many areas of British life, the future movement of dogs across the channel in a post-Brexit world is a concern ahead of Crufts, and many dog owners could have been put off by the uncertainty around pet travel.

“While we now know from Defra that pet travel regulations will remain the same throughout the transition period, we were only notified of this the week after entries for Crufts closed, so were unable to reassure potential competitors before they made a decision to enter,” he said.

Lambert urged dog owners to consult Defra for advice on how to prepare their dogs for foreign travel.