Ban Tail Docking on Dogs in Ireland

#19: Barry - Actual text of the Act

Like many pieces of legislation, the Act takes the approach of banning everything, then allowing certain specific exemptions.  In this case, every form of surgery except "veterinary treatment" is banned, unless it receives an exemption (Section 16(a)(i) and (ii)).  Because of this approach, at the time that the Act commences the Minister intends to make "animal welfare regulations" (as referred to in Section 16(a)(i)) to permit certain listed procedures.  If he doesn't do that, operations such as preventive neutering may become illegal.  Unfortunately, the draft regulations that are currently being discussed contain an exemption that will allow unqualified, unregulated lay people to amputate tails and dew-claws of dogs, without even being required to use anaesthesia or pain relief of any kind.  The purpose of this petition is have those elements of the draft regulations removed, so that the absolute ban on operations "for cosmetic reasoons" will remain.