Scotland to establish Animal Welfare Commission
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The Commission will advise on breeding legislation and the licencing of rehoming centres.
The Scottish Government has announced that it is to establish an Animal Welfare Commission to advise on the welfare of domesticated and wild animals in Scotland and ensure standards are maintained after Brexit.
The new commission was announced on Tuesday (11 September) as part of the Scottish Government’s 2018-19 programme. It will see welfare organisations and other key stakeholders working with government across key animal welfare issues, including attacks on police dogs, breeding legislation and the licensing of animal sanctuaries and rehoming centres.
Welcoming the initiative, BVA Scottish Branch president Melissa Donald said: “This is a great move which demonstrates the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to animal welfare. It is vitally important to ensure that animal welfare standards are at least maintained and where possible improved post-Brexit, so establishing a specialist group with this remit will help to channel expertise with a clear goal in mind.
“BVA has fed into consultations on sanctuaries and rehoming centres and emphasised the importance of strengthened, clear and considered regulation which prioritises the health and welfare of animals in these environments. We also support strengthened protections for all ‘protected animals’ as defined in the Animal Welfare Act.”
“We look forward to seeing proposals in due course for other animal activities including breeding and pet sales. At a minimum, these should be aligned with the incoming Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations to ensure high standards of animal welfare across the UK and prevent loopholes in licensing legislation between nations.”
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
