Released to press on 21 June 2017
Leading animal protection charity OneKind claims today is a sad day for animal welfare following the decision to reintroduce tail-docking for working dogs in Scotland.
MSPs voted 86 to 29 in favour of lifting the tail-docking ban this afternoon. Today’s decision comes 10 years after Scotland introduced a ban on tail-docking for all dogs in Scotland.
OneKind Director Harry Huyton said:
“This is a sad day for animal welfare. Scotland has gone from a world-leading ban on all tail-docking to a law that offers puppies weaker protection than in England. This was done in the absence of evidence, with no support from the animal welfare and veterinary communities, and against the wishes of the vast majority of the Scottish public who wanted to see the ban remain as it was. "
The amendments to the ban mean that the tails of Spaniel and Hunt Point Retriever puppies can be docked by a maximum of one third in length for puppies that are not more than five days old, when vets have sufficient evidence that the dogs will be used for working purposes in the future.
Harry Huyton continued:
“Our hope now is that this sorry story is a one-off event and not indicative of a wider disregard for animal welfare. We are calling on the Scottish Government to put forward an ambitious programme for progress in animal protection over the remainder of this Parliament that would restore Scotland’s place as a leader in this field.”
“We are grateful to the 29 MSPs who voted against this damaging and backwards proposal”
Notes to the editor:
1. OneKind is a Scottish animal protection charity working to end cruelty to Scotland's animals.
2. OneKind's report on the Scottish Government proposal to reintroduce tail-docking.
For further information, photographs, or to request an interview, please contact:
Sarah Moyes
Tel: 0131 661 9734 / 07814249534
Email: sarah.moyes@onekind.org
For further information or photographs please contact Sarah Moyes on 0131 661 9734sarah.moyes@onekind.org
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