On Thursday, July 30th, 2026, the Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria (APPCC) filed a formal complaint with Herefordshire Trading Standards regarding potential consumer protection concerns surrounding pet cremation services provided by Animal Funeral Services (AFS). This complaint not only targets AFS directly but also veterinary practices that may have recommended or arranged services through AFS.
The APPCC has raised concerns about the information and assurances provided by AFS to both veterinary practices and pet owners. While there is no evidence that veterinary practices knowingly misrepresented the service, the APPCC believes that some practices may have relied on incomplete or inaccurate information provided by AFS, potentially putting both themselves and the families they serve at risk.
A series of images, allegedly taken at AFS, have surfaced, showing what appears to be large quantities of bagged animal remains, damaged containment, and operational clutter. While these images require verification and do not establish any wrongdoing, they do warrant an investigation into the information provided by AFS to veterinary practices and pet owners.
According to Kevin Spurgeon, Director of APPCC, “Families did not pay for a beloved companion to be treated like rubbish. Veterinary teams did not knowingly put their name behind that kind of service either. If the published images accurately reflect what happened, Trading Standards must establish whether AFS misled practices, owners, or both.”
In many cases, the veterinary practice is the only organization that families deal with when it comes to pet cremation services. As a result, APPCC believes that these practices should have access to accurate and reliable information and assurances from their suppliers. However, they also acknowledge that veterinary teams are not cremation inspectors and should not be held responsible for any misleading or incomplete information provided by their suppliers.
Steve Mayles, Vice Chairman of APPCC, explains, “Veterinary teams are not cremation inspectors. They should be entitled to complete, accurate information and credible assurance from their suppliers. Where a practice recommends or arranges a service, it needs enough reliable information to describe that service accurately to the family.”
The APPCC is asking Herefordshire Trading Standards to establish several key factors, including what information AFS provided to veterinary practices and pet owners regarding handling, containment, transport, storage, identification, individual cremation, and ashes return. They also want to determine if practices received incomplete or inaccurate information and, if so, whether they unknowingly passed it on to bereaved owners. Other factors to be investigated include the written service specification provided by AFS and whether it matched the actual service provided, as well as the level of access given to veterinary practices to verify the service.
The APPCC also wants to ensure that veterinary practices are protected from any inaccurate or incomplete information provided by suppliers. They recommend that practices confirm the name and address of the crematorium that will receive and cremate pets, obtain a written end-to-end service description, and review the provider’s written service description, complaints procedures, regulatory status, and membership or accreditation claims regularly. They also suggest that practices ask the provider to demonstrate their identification and traceability system and review how complaints and other incidents are recorded and reported.
“Regulatory approval may show that a site is authorized to receive and process animal by-products. It does not, by itself, tell a veterinary practice whether pets receive the dignity, individual attention, and funeral-style care being described to families. Vets need protection from that gap just as much as owners do,” explains Kevin Spurgeon.
The APPCC also recommends that veterinary practices regularly review their suppliers and make sure that the description given to owners accurately reflects the written service specification provided by the supplier. They also urge practices to give owners clear information about the identity of the crematorium and the available aftercare routes.
Furthermore, the APPCC is calling for clearer service information and credible assurance from suppliers in their Every Promise Matters transparency campaign. They believe that this will not only protect pet owners but also good veterinary practices.
“The fair question is whether AFS gave veterinary practices and pet owners a truthful and complete picture, whether practices had realistic ways to obtain credible assurance, and whether families received the service they were led to expect. Protecting pet owners and protecting good veterinary practices are the same job,” says Kevin Spurgeon.
It is important to note that the submission of a complaint does not establish wrongdoing or confirm that a formal investigation has opened. AFS and any veterinary practices involved will have the opportunity to respond before any conclusions are drawn.
