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Animal Welfare Bill

I am not against the docking of the tails of working dogs; indeed, in many cases it is wholly appropriate, but I want to say a few words about amendment No. 2. I would prefer to leave the question of identifying types to the discretion of the veterinary surgeon. However, that will not be the impact of the amendment. As I understand it, the authority will, by regulation, determine whether a dog is capable of falling within the classification ““working dog””—that it is of a type. That may not be particularly difficult when one is dealing with pure breeds, but it becomes very difficult when dealing with crosses, especially when somewhere down the track the grandsire or the grandmother is a spaniel. The proposed procedure is curious, because I do not see how the regulating authority will be able to define a dog, other than a pure bred animal, as a type capable of falling within the classification ““working dog””. That is not leaving things to the discretion of the veterinary surgeon, as the Minister suggested; it gives the definitional function to the authority and it is not easy to perform that function other than in relation to pure breeds.