Completed petition Stop the unethical and draconian proposed compulsory microchipping of dogs
We call on the Welsh Assembly to urge the Welsh Government to stop their proposed planned compulsory microchipping of dogs. Microchipping of dogs has not been proven to be more effective, cheaper or kinder to dogs. It has proven to be far more expensive than normal methods such as tattooing or permanent tags, is intrusive and brings in to question basic animal rights and ethics. There is also increasing evidence that chips can cause cancer in animals. A collar with a tag is by far the easiest and most effective way of reuniting a dog and its owner- anyone who can read can use this system. According to campaign groups such as ChipMeNot, there would also be a real environmental impact from microchips due to the chips themselves, the need for readers, batteries for each reader, the computers to administer the database and so on.
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The Control of Dogs Act 1992 already requires a collar on a dog in a public place. Micro chipping will not make dogs or people safer. However micro-chipping is a big business and there are huge profits to be made. Many of the veterinary corporations and animal charities that are in favour of dog chipping stand to make a lot of money from the chipping of dogs. The compulsory micro chipping of dogs is both draconian and out of touch. Charging owners for micro chips and ongoing database updates as well as the additional manpower costs for local authorities to enforce such a policy make a mockery of claims to be concerned with unnecessary expenditure in a time of austerity. It is worth noting that dog chipping is both a Westminster policy and part of the wider European Union agenda to chip and log in databases every living thing, which raises serious questions of principles, morality and ethics. Wales should take this opportunity to reject this draconian and immoral policy.
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