20th June 2013
As the Petitioner, I am delighted to have read the CAWC reply back to William Powell AM, especially its conclusion …” It is therefore our conclusion that presently, on the balance of probabilities, the element of the Welsh ban which extends to these boundary fencing systems is not conducive to the promotion of good welfare, and may increase animal suffering”.
As it happens, the CAWC’s response coincided with the long-awaited DEFRA report on Electronic Training Aids for Dogs, AW1402 and AW1402.
Below is the print-out of an email conversation directly between DEFRA and Caroline Fawcett of Feline Friends in Derbyshire, England dated Tuesday this week. This specifically refers to electronic collars linked to invisible boundary fencing, where there has never, ever been any ban. Mrs Fawcett was concerned that the Welsh ban could be extended to England.
It was forward on to me by Mrs Fawcett, (with her explicit permission) via one of her circle in England and I have highlighted in red the relevant sentence at the end.
From: Feline Friends [mailto:cats@feline-friends.org.uk] Sent: 18 June 2013 13:27 To: DogFence; Peter Gifford Subject: Fw: Response to your Query : - Ref:DWOE000313575 - AW1402 and AW1402A
----- Original Message -----
From: ccu.correspondence@defra.gsi.gov.uk
To: Cats@feline-friends.org.uk
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 2:16 PM
Subject: Response to your Query : - Ref:DWOE000313575 - AW1402 and AW1402A
Dear Mrs Fawcett,
PET TRAINING AIDS
Thank you for your email of 11 June about pet training aids. I have been asked to reply. A copy of the final report is available on the Defra website
While research showed no evidence that e-collars cause long-term harm to dog welfare when used appropriately, Defra wants to ensure electric dog collars are used properly and manufactured to a high standard.
We will work with the Electronic Collar Manufacturers Association to draw up guidance for dog owners and trainers advising how to use e-collars properly and to develop a manufacturers’ charter to make sure any e-collars on sale are made to high standards. A ban on e-collars could not be justified because the research provided no evidence that e-collars pose a significant risk to dog welfare. For a ban to be introduced there would have to be evidence showing they were harmful to the long-term welfare of dogs.
There are no proposals to place restrictions on the use of electronic containment fences.
Yours sincerely,
Adam Broderick Defra - Customer Contact Unit
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
This email and any attachments is intended for the named recipient only. If you have received it in error you have no authority to use, disclose, store or copy any of its contents and you should destroy it and inform the sender. Whilst this email and associated attachments will have been checked for known viruses whilst within Defra systems we can accept no responsibility once it has left our systems. Communications on Defra's computer systems may be monitored and/or recorded to secure the effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes.
I very much look forward to watching the Petition Committee’s discussions on Senedd TV on Tuesday 2nd July as to what the Committee’s next step will be and how I can further assist in the outright lifting of this ban on invisible containment fencing.
Currently, it absolutely impossible to demonstrate how safe the containment fencing in Wales whilst the threat of criminal prosecution hangs over owners’ heads.
Sincerely
Monima O'Connor