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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 15th September 2015
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Petition to ban leaving dogs in hot cars
otis
Claire Grundy launched OtisLaw2015 - a campaign named after her own rescue Labrador.

Frustration over lack of prosecutions prompts call for change
 
A shopping centre manager is calling for a ban on leaving dogs in hot cars, after repeatedly seeing animals put at risk in the store car park.

Claire Grundy is operations manager at Birchwood Shopping Centre in Warrington, Cheshire.

She says: "There isn't a week that goes by where we don't have a report of a dog locked in a hot vehicle, or a team of staff trying to locate the owner to return to their vehicle."

Staff at the shopping centre are "saddened and frustrated" by the number of people who leave their dogs in hot cars, and the lack of action taken against irresponsible owners. This is despite annual awareness campaigns run by charities such as the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust.

Claire says: "The police attend the scene and speak to the owner about their irresponsibility, however, this is the limitation of police powers on the matter."

Police action is only taken under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 if the animal dies as a result of being left in a car, she adds.

Frustration at the lack of a clearly defined law prompted her to take action and launch OtisLaw2015 - a campaign named after her own rescue Labrador.

The campaign is calling for a change to the Animal Welfare Act, making it illegal to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal by leaving it unattended in a hot vehicle long enough to cause them discomfort.

Initially, the petition was launched on Change.org and received 13,000 signatures. Since then, the government has reopened its petition committee and the e-petition has had to start from scratch on the official government site.

So far, it has over 1,700 signatures, but if the issue is to be debated in parliament, the petition needs 100,000 signatures by February 2016.

The campaign is gaining momentum online, gathering support from a number of celebrities and coverage from regional news and radio stations across the north west.

Sign the government e-petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/106636

Image courtesy of Claire Grundy

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Defra shares new Sanitary and Phytosanitary guidance

News Story 1
 Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.

The agreement, which will change the movement and trade of animals and related products, could see reductions in checks, paperwork and certification. As well as describing regulatory developments, the advice highlights the importance of animal ID, registration and traceability in disease control and other compliance arrangements.

The guidance can be found here. More detail is expected as negotiations progress. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New form for online veterinary medicines retailers

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has produced a new online form for retailers wishing to sell veterinary medicines on the internet.

The form replace the previous Word version and is part of the VMD's ongoing commitment to digitise its processes. Anyone retailing prescription medicines online, including POM-V, POM-VPS and NFA-VPS categories, is lawfully required to register with the VMD before trading.

The change only applies to new applicants. Retailers already listed on the VMD's Register of Online Retailers or registered under the Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS) do not need to do anything.