Docking of Working Dogs’ Tails (England) Regulations 2007

My Lords, I welcome this legislation. As a veterinary surgeon, I have been concerned about mutilations of all animals, including dogs, for a good number of years. The explanation given by the Minister this evening has been most helpful. He has particularly clarified certification of when and how a veterinary surgeon might dock a dog if he is motivated to do so. I will not bore your Lordships by repeating my previous comments on the docking of dogs’ tails, except to emphasise again that there is no peer-reviewed scientific information independently supporting the view that prophylactic docking is effective in preventing tail damage. I am pleased to note that the Minister has said that there will be a study of it conducted by the Royal Veterinary College, I think with funding from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, which may put the issue to sleep at long last and give us the benefit of scientific evidence on the issue. A substantial issue of the docking of dogs’ tails which keeps coming up is that of pain. There is now substantial evidence, not with puppy dogs but certainly with other neonates and even animals in utero, that such animals can experience pain when subjected to it. It is interesting that the pain pathways are intact in the neonates, but the down regulation of the pain has not yet developed. It is therefore likely that puppies of up to five days of age experience more pain rather than less, and more than is believed by pro-docking individuals. Hence I am firmly of the opinion that the premise for docking is invalid, that we will know that from the study to be undertaken by the Royal Veterinary College, and that the scientific basis of the absence of pain is unacceptable. If docking is to be performed, it should be done by a veterinary surgeon using a local anaesthetic, because of the evidence of pain upon removal of part of the tail. My guess is that docking will, in due course, gradually cease to be done. The whole range of mutilations performed on animals—done, it was thought at one time, for the benefit of the animal in one way or another—has gradually lost favour and they are no longer done. There is a substantial list of mutilations that are still done, and we believe that they are done for the health and welfare of the animal. However, over the years, I have noticed that because of improvements in medicine, surgery, anaesthesia and so on, they have gradually disappeared. I suspect that the docking of dogs’ tails will do the same. One reason why it might disappear is that an increasing number of veterinary surgeons are unwilling to undertaking docking, largely because they believe it to be an unnecessary mutilation if it is done only for cosmetic purposes. Where it is necessary for therapeutic purposes, it is an entirely different matter. One would not wish to object to this order because that might cause considerable trouble and lead to docking for cosmetic purposes, which I am not in favour of. I thank the Minister for his explanation and wish this part of the Animal Welfare Act a fair passage.