OneKind is delighted that the Scottish Government has confirmed that the hot-branding of horses and ponies is to be prohibited.
Nine authorisations for branding were issued last year in Scotland, all for semi-feral ponies on the remote Scoraig peninsula in Wester Ross. No further authorisations will be issued and new regulations ending the painful and outdated practice will be laid before the Scottish Parliament next month.
Hot branding is an old-fashioned means of identifying horses which has largely died out but continues to be used by certain breed societies: hot metal irons are used to brand a number onto the animal’s skin, so that the resultant scarring creates a permanent mark. The law now requires all equines to be microchipped.
We welcome Environment and Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead’s statement that: "There is no place for hot branding in a country which prides itself on its high animal welfare credentials. This process is painful and involves burning and scarring sensitive tissue, which can clearly cause animals unnecessary stress and pain.”
Advocates for Animals has repeatedly called for hot branding to be outlawed. Welcoming the announcement, Policy Director, Libby Anderson, said: “Both the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Association have described hot branding as painful and there is simply no need for it in this day and age. We are delighted that the Scottish Government is outlawing the practice and we hope that this initiative will influence the other UK administrations to follow suit.
“We will continue to remind governments that they should also bring an end to many other outdated and painful procedures such as tail-docking and castration of lambs and tail-docking and tooth-clipping of pigs. Animals are sentient creatures that should be spared needless distress and suffering.”
Read Advocates for Animals’ response to the Scottish Government’s consultation.