Memorandum submitted by the Dog Legislation
Advisory Group
1. This is the submission of the Dog Legislation
Advisory Group (DLAG), whose members include the major animal
welfare charities and veterinary bodies.
2. This submission concentrates on the main
proposals of the Bill and only includes issues where there was
common agreement. The members of DLAG have submitted responses
to the committee in their own right and these detail their individual
position in relation to the Bill.
3. DLAG welcomes the initiative to update
the legislation relating to Animal Welfare. Clauses 1-4, relating
to Cruelty, Fighting, Welfare, Sales to Under 16's and Giving
as Prizes all have the support of DLAG members.
4. We also welcome the intention to regulate
through Codes of Practice as this offers consultation with industry
and can be easily reviewed and amended should the need arise.
5. DLAG does however, have a number of concerns
with some of the detail contained in the Bill. Firstly, the group
expressed some concern over the suggested change to the frequency
of inspection—we believe that inspectors are likely to wait
until the end of the 18-month period before carrying out inspections
on licensed premises and this will not promote animal welfare.
Inspectors usually inspect when the current licence is nearing
expiration, and we question why this would change if the licence
period were extended?
6. DLAG would like assurances that any person
or body authorised as a prosecuting authority will be subject
to proper training and monitoring. Ideally there would be a set
of common standards to which all inspectors are subject to irrespective
of which part of the country and which body they are employed.
7. DLAG disagrees that regulation relating
to breeding and greyhound racing should be left to the end of
the decade. The members of DLAG have carried out a great deal
of work on both of these subjects and they see the Bill as an
ideal platform to accelerate the process, we recommend an urgent
review of the legislative timetable.
8. Although Defra indicated prior to the
consultation process that proceeded the publication of the Bill
that they were not going to include the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991,
DLAG members implore the committee to consider making provision
for its inclusion. We believe that the 1991 Act is seriously flawed
and has real welfare implications.
24 August 2004
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