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Thursday, 08 March 2007
The Welsh Assembly is following the English example on the subject of tail docking
The Welsh Assembly is following the English example on the subject of tail docking. Unlike the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly has now added various hunt, point and retrieve (HPR) breeds to the existing list of working dogs that will be exempt from the forthcoming tail docking ban in Wales.
Director of BASC Wales, Glynn Cook, has been campaigning for all working gundogs to be placed on the exemption list. He told ST: “Last Thursday, I went to give evidence to the Environment Planning and Countryside Committee. We have already responded to the consultation but the committee was scrutinising the statutory instrument. We’re very pleased to learn that, following a sustained campaign by BASC Wales, a specified list of HPR breeds has been added to schedule one. Spaniels of any breed or combination, and terriers of any breed or combination, were on the exemption list, but HPRs weren’t.
“In England, the legislation list specified certain HPR breeds, but it was softened in February, when any type and combination of HPR breeds were exempt. While we are pleased they have added HPRs in Wales, we are subjected to a specified list of breeds. The issue still has to go through full assembly on 28 March, and there are many assembly members who have yet to be persuaded of the importance of tail docking for welfare reasons.”
To coincide with the move in Wales and with Crufts this week, the Council of Docked Breeds (CDB) has released the findings of its latest survey ahead of the docking ban becoming law in England on 6 April. More than 2,500 respondents completed the docking survey, which was open to all breeders and owners. Eighty-seven per cent of respondents disagreed with a ban, while only eight per cent strongly agreed with a ban. Sixty-five per cent of respondents still strongly disagreed with the principle of a ban on docking despite the exemption for docked breeds.
The CDB also claims that the decision by the Scottish Executive is short-sighted and is not a decision based on animal welfare. CDB secretary Ginette Elliott commented: “Experience of total tail docking bans in other countries, such as Sweden, has shown that tail deformities and tail injuries will occur in hitherto docked breeds. The politicians’ short-sighted and selective decision to ban tail docking will lead to far greater animal welfare problems than those it purports to solve.”
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