Hansard

I am pleased to be having this members’ business debate, and I thank all the MSPs who supported the motion. I also thank the Dogs Trust for its campaign to promote compulsory microchipping of dogs across the United Kingdom. The Dogs Trust, which is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, has two rehoming centres in Scotland—one in Glasgow and one in West Calder. I was pleased to visit the West Calder centre earlier this year to see its facilities and learn more about its work and the valuable role that it plays in rehoming dogs. In the past year in Scotland, the organisation has rehomed nearly 2,000 dogs. At West Calder, I also had the opportunity to learn more about microchipping and its benefits.

The benefits of microchipping are widely recognised. A recent YouGov poll for the Dogs Trust suggested that 82 per cent of adults in Scotland are in favour of the introduction of compulsory microchipping for dogs. Public support for the introduction of such a change is important, and those figures are very encouraging.

Principally, microchipping enables a lost or stray dog to be quickly reunited with its owner. It is a permanent method of identification—collars and tags can be removed or lost, but a chip is permanent. Many owners already take the decision to have their pet microchipped. It encourages responsible dog ownership and can lead to the owner building a relationship with advice services, who can then support their decision to own a dog.

Why should microchipping be compulsory? Why not leave it up to the individual owner? Part of the reason is that owning a dog is often not a decision that impacts only on the individual. Although there are many responsible dog owners across Scotland, MSPs will know from their mailbags that irresponsible dog ownership, whether that means dog fouling, stray dogs or noise pollution, can be detrimental to our communities. This week the Dunfermline Press, one of my local newspapers, highlights problems with dogs running off their leads and causing problems in public parks. Instilling a responsible approach to ownership can help to address some of those issues.

For dog wardens and other local authority workers who have to deal with those issues, microchipping enables easy identification of owners in order to tackle the problem. For example, in a recent survey of local authorities and environmental health officers across the United Kingdom, the Dogs Trust found that, although Scotland has one of the lowest numbers of stray dogs, there has been a decrease in the number of strays that are quickly reunited with their owners. On average, 12 dogs are picked up in Scotland every day. Microchipping assists their rapid return, allowing wardens to emphasise to dog owners their responsibilities and, where appropriate, that straying dogs are not acceptable.

In addition, under current arrangements, local authorities carry the significant burden of kennel costs for stray dogs. Increasingly, that service is being delivered in partnership with a private provider whose costs have to be negotiated. Although costs can be recovered if an owner is identified, when we look at Scotland’s relatively poor reunification figures, we can see that that is not always an option. The delay in reuniting a dog with its owner means higher costs for the owner. Compulsory microchipping would reduce costs for the local authority as well as for the owner recovering their pet.

I have welcomed support from Fife Council for this proposal. The council has taken a proactive approach to responsible dog ownership and recognised that compulsory microchipping is a beneficial tool that makes it as easy as possible for owners to look after their dogs and be responsible within their communities.

The permanent nature of microchipping can act as a deterrent to dog theft. Approximately 3,500 dog thefts were reported across the UK last year, which is up by 17 per cent on the previous year. Microchipping is consistently given as the top deterrent for theft. Of course, we are dealing with criminal activity and, depending on the reason for the theft, it might not be enough of a deterrent, but it gives a disincentive to theft.

Compulsory microchipping can also lead to easier identification and the subsequent arrest of owners who are guilty of animal cruelty, as well as supporting actions to address dangerous dogs. In Scotland, dogs can be required to be microchipped if they are the subject of a notice that has been issued under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 or under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. However, that can happen only once a dog has been identified as a threat. If microchipping was compulsory, owner identification would be quicker and the workload and costs for local authorities would be reduced.

If, as in the rest of the UK, we were to decide on a system of microchipping before first change of hands, that would mean that all puppies could be traced back to their breeder, which would help to tackle puppy farming and reduce the incidence of infectious disease and inherited defects from which many dogs can suffer.

I recognise that there are questions of cost effectiveness. Microchipping typically costs around £20 to £30, which is a one-off cost that covers the dog’s lifetime. Although some people might find it difficult to find that money, owning a dog costs money through food bills, vet fees or grooming costs. In the overall picture, therefore, microchipping is affordable. To address the concerns that there might be about the cost to the owner, the Dogs Trust is working closely with local authorities throughout the UK and it offers microchipping for free.