New Consultation on Northern Irish Dog Regulations
A new twelve week consultation has been launched by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on their draft Dogs (Licensing and Identification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, and the Kennel Club is calling for feedback.
Due to come into effect in April 2012, the Regulations will be made under the Dogs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and will introduce a number of changes including the microchipping of dogs, control conditions, and provisions in relation to dog bite incidents on people, livestock and other animals.
Caroline Kisko, the Communication Director for the Kennel Club, commented on the move: "With the introduction of compulsory microchipping within their new draft Regulations, Northern Ireland is helping pave the way towards responsible dog ownership for the rest of the UK.
She added: "We urge the dog owning public to take part in this consultation, which aims to set out the fine print for microchipping related requirements."
Copies of the consultation documents, and the details of the consultation and proposed regulation, can be found here.
The deadline for responses is midnight on 7th February 2012.