Current Petitions

The next two petitions are grouped together. PE1196, by Michael Brander, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 as a matter of urgency to allow for the tails of working dogs to be docked. PE1230, by Dr Colin Shedden on behalf of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Scottish Countryside Alliance, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association and the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend the Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 to allow tail docking of working dogs under tightly specified circumstances.Do members have any comments?

I wonder whether we should suspend these petitions again. We still do not have the outcome of the research study that is being done by the University of Bristol and the Royal Veterinary College. It was expected to have been produced by now and, although it has not been, it appears imminent. I think that we should wait until we get the report.

I propose that we close the petitions. The issue was considered by the Parliament not that long ago, when there was support for a ban on tail docking by more than two to one. The Government has indicated that it has no plans to change the legislation, so I propose that we close the petitions.

So we either suspend or close the petitions.

I do not particularly support what the petitioners call for but, as we decided to wait for a research study, I would not close the petitions until the research study has been published. I would investigate how long it will be before we get the study but, if we have decided already to hold the petitions until we get the research, we should wait for it. We should at least consider the research, and then we can say no if we want to.

Does Rhona Brankin wish to reconsider her proposal?

I was not a member of the committee when the initial decision was taken. I am fundamentally opposed to tail docking, and I do not think that the petition is going anywhere. There is certainly not a majority for it in Parliament; we voted more than two to one against it. It is not very fair to the petitioner to pretend that the petition is going anywhere. It is not going anywhere and it should be closed.

I am sorry, but I want to hold out to see the report. It is only fair on the petitioner that we see the report first.

As I see that five members are in favour of suspending the petition, and only one is in favour of closing it, we will suspend consideration of the petition.