Meeting of the Parliament 21 June 2017
I thank all those on the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee for their diligence and for the work that they carried out in scrutinising the statutory instrument. It cannot have been an easy task, as views both for and against amending the current blanket ban on tail docking are strongly and, I believe, sincerely held. I am also conscious that, unlike other speakers in this afternoon’s brief debate, I have not had the benefit of sitting through all the evidence presented to the committee. Nevertheless, it is an issue with which I am familiar, and I am grateful to the various organisations that have provided detailed briefings in the run-up to today’s debate, not least because of the short notice that they would have been given of the debate and the vote.
At this point, I see little purpose in again rehearsing the arguments that we have heard from Finlay Carson, David Stewart and Mark Ruskell. Suffice it to say that the Scottish Liberal Democrats accept that the basis for the case being made both for and against the proposed change is founded on welfare concerns. Inevitably, those concerns will be weighted differently by different people. On that basis, as Christine Grahame rather forcefully and rightly pointed out, it seems inappropriate to apply the party whip to the decision. Therefore, my colleagues will vote accordingly.
17:15