- The Guardian, Saturday 25 October 2008
- Article history
Pet food brand Pedigree is to end more than 40 years of sponsorship of Crufts, it said yesterday. It is the latest, and most financially damaging blow to the world's biggest dog show and its organisers, the Kennel Club. Industry insiders said sponsorship of the event, which takes place in March in Birmingham, is worth up to £500,000 a year.
In August a BBC documentary alleged that unhealthy and sometimes inbred dogs were winning best in breed competitions at the show. Last month the RSPCA said it would boycott Crufts because, it claimed, the competition's judging criteria encouraged the breeding of "deformed and disabled" dogs. The BBC has appointed a scientific panel to assess the evidence in the documentary. If it backs the film the BBC is to stop broadcasting the event, after more than 40 years. The Kennel Club, which was infuriated by what it claims was a "biased and selective" documentary, is reported to have offered the rights to the show to rival broadcasters ITV and Sky.
A spokeswoman for manufacturer Mars refused to say whether the documentary row had influenced its decision to pull out of Crufts. The company said: "The Pedigree brand has evolved and we are prioritising initiatives that support the broadest possible community of dog owners." Pedigree was the principal sponsor of Crufts and has backed the show since 1964.
Earlier this month the Kennel Club announced a review of breeding standards aimed at rearing healthier dogs.