Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: letter of thanks
Letter of thanks from Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands to Chair of SAWC on 5 November 2021.
On behalf of the Scottish Government, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for all the hard work the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission has undertaken over the course of its first 12 months.
Identifying, analysing and highlighting the key issues in Scotland surrounding animal welfare is vital to the Scottish Government in helping to improve and strengthen our animal welfare protections.
Having been formally established in June 2020, SAWC’s members have worked tirelessly, focusing on a range of important issues and publishing numerous in-depth reports, including on animal sentience, the use of rodent glue traps, deer welfare and exotic pets. I also noted with keen interest your letter to the former Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment, providing your opinion on the ear-cropping of dogs. These are all incredibly important issues, and are well summarised in your first annual report, which was laid before Parliament on 15 October.
I was pleased to attend the SAWC plenary meeting on 15 June and it was interesting to hear the updates on all the activities the working groups were undertaking. Animal welfare is a subject I feel very passionately about, and having recently returned to the Rural Affairs portfolio, I look forward to continuing to work with you and the members of SAWC to improve the welfare of wild and companion animals in Scotland.
Yours sincerely,
Mairi Gougeon
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