Meeting of the Parliament 21 June 2017
I am sorry, but I need to finish this.
The operating vet must be satisfied with the evidence that is produced that shows that
“the dog is likely to be used for work”
in later life. The regulations will place the responsibility for making the decision in the hands of those who are best placed to make an informed professional judgment. They are the practising veterinary surgeons, mostly in rural Scotland, who know the clients who are working dog breeders, understand the risks of injury that are associated with normal shooting activities and, most important, have a professional duty to ensure the welfare of all animals in their care. Individual vets will of course be under no obligation to shorten tails if they do not believe that it is in the best interests of the animals that they are presented with.
Mention has correctly been made of tails being used for communication. In a number of instances, the term “amputation” has been used instead of “shortening”, with the implication that the whole of the tail would be removed. However, the evidence showed no greater reduction in the probability of injury by removing more than the end third of the tail. The regulations therefore limit shortening to that extent. Dogs with two thirds of their tail and all of their other ways of using body language to communicate will still be able to socialise normally, as anyone who has ever seen a working spaniel happily and vigorously wagging a tail that has already been shortened will understand.
Yes, tail shortening is briefly painful, but that has to be weighed against the often prolonged recovery from serious tail surgery in an adult dog that has suffered pain before treatment and may also suffer in recovery. The pictures of those injuries are every bit as shocking as anything else that members may have seen. The evidence suggests that working dogs with a shortened tail are up to 20 times less likely to injure their tails in later life. I therefore ask members to follow the committee’s recommendation and support the amended regulations. Whatever members’ personal views on shooting as a sport, I believe that the amendment is proportional, that it is based on the best evidence that we have and, most important, that it will improve the welfare of dogs that are involved in a lawful activity.