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The docking of dogs' tails will be
banned in Scotland from April 30, the Executive
confirmed today.
Animal Health and Welfare Minister
Ross Finnie said:
"Tail docking of dogs involves the
removal of most or part of the tail, severing
muscles, tendons, nerves and sometimes bone or
cartilage. That cannot be justified because of a
possibility that the dog may injure its tail in
later life.
"A ban on tail docking is not a step
which we have taken lightly. We consulted widely and
have concluded that the arguments against docking
outweigh those in its favour. Tail docking is
opposed by the leading veterinary organisations and
I'm clear that ending tail docking will improve
animal welfare in Scotland."
The Animal Health and Welfare
(Scotland) Act bans procedures which interfere with
the bone structure or sensitive tissue of animals
for non medical reasons. Regulations were today laid
in Parliament which exempt a number of procedures
from this general ban, such as ear tagging for
livestock and micro chipping for pet animals.
The Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons, the British Veterinary Association, the
Small Animal Veterinary Association and the Scottish
SPCA all oppose tail docking except where a tail is
injured or diseased.
The penalty for docking a dog's tail
will be a fine of up to £5,000 and/or six months
imprisonment.
Section 20 of the Animal Health and
Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 makes it an offence to
perform a procedure on an animal which interferes
with its the bone structure or sensitive tissue,
unless it is a medical procedure or the procedure
has been specifically exempted by Regulations made
by Scottish Ministers.
The Executive consulted on procedures
to be exempted from Section 20 of the Animal Health
and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
Section 20 shall not be commenced
until the exempted procedures are agreed by
Parliament.
Exempted procedures are mainly used
by farmers to identify animals, to control
reproduction, or for other animal welfare or handler
safety reasons. Prophylactic tail docking of puppies
has not been made an exempted procedure. The Animal
Welfare Act 2006 in England and Wales does allow
tail docking for certain working dogs. |
