You probably know that the UK government is planning to introduce compulsory domestic cat microchipping in England. The advantages are numerous and the difficulties are known such as enforcing such a law. Well, this is a chance for the British taxpayer and cat owner to provide the government with their views in an online survey.
It is on the Internet and the webpage is being run by the Department for Environmental Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It looks simple to complete. It was opened on 23 December 2020 and the survey closes on 17 February 2021.
They say that they are launching the consultation to seek the views of British people to proposals to make cat microchipping a compulsory requirement of cat ownership in England. There are also taking the opportunity to consult on the compulsory scanning of pets (dogs and cats) for microchips.
At the moment there is no legal requirement in England for owners to microchip their cats unless, I’m told, that they are travelling under the EU Pet Travel Scheme or have been commercially imported. Defra, perhaps through a survey, has learned that microchipping should be made compulsory. They’ve been lobbied or received representations that it should be compulsory. They want to find out what the public think about it.
Compulsory microchipping allows a reunion between lost cats and their owners, which is sometimes quite difficult or impossible to achieve without microchipping. The current estimate is that just over 70% of domestic cats are micro-chipped in England. Those that campaign for compulsory microchipping say that the percentage will rise to 90% if the new legislation is enacted (due in 2021 if all goes to plan).
The government’s own consultation which until now appears not to have been with the public resulted in 99% of respondents supporting the new policy. There are issues of scanning for microchips. The consultation considers the issue of compulsory scanning of both cats and dogs for microchips. There’s been a campaign to make it a legal requirement that veterinarians, local authorities and rescue centres scan for microchips.
The reason why the new law only applies to England is because issues of animal welfare have been devolved meaning that Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland make their own laws on these matters.
It is compulsory to microchip dogs in England but Defra is undertaking a review of the micro-chipping of dogs under the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 in order to seek information as to whether they can improve compulsory dog microchipping.