Scottish Animal Welfare Commission minutes: 18 February 2025

Attendees and apologies

Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) members

• Cathy Dwyer, Chair
• Libby Anderson
• Mike Radford
• Mike Flynn
• Simon Girling
• Pete Goddard
• Paula Boyden
• Marie Haskell
• Ellie Wigham
• Harvey Carruthers
• James Yeates

Animal Welfare Committee (AWC)

• Madeleine Campbell, Chair

Scottish Government

• Andrew Voas, Veterinary Head of Animal Welfare
• Andy McKinlay, Policy Officer and Secretariat Support, Animal Welfare Team

Apologies

• Andrew Kitchener, SAWC Member

Items and actions

Welcome

The Chair welcomed the members to the first plenary meeting of 2025.  

The Chair also welcomed Madeleine Campbell, Chair of the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC).

Updates and Activity since last plenary meeting

SAWC

Since the last plenary meeting in November 2024:

SAWC published a report on report on responsible ownership and care of domestic cats

SAWC wrote to Ministers about lower noise fireworks and other alternatives to reduce harm to animals

SAWC wrote to Ministers about dogs that are seized as suspected prohibited breeds

SAWC submitted a response to a DEFRA consultation on stunning methods for pigs

SAWC responded to a European Commission consultation and gave an interview in relation to the issue of positive lists for pets

SAWC received and responded to correspondence on a variety of issues, including dog training; fish slaughter; cats; and equine welfare 

SAWC’s working groups have continued to work on a range of animal welfare issues (see Work Group Updates section below)
Scottish Government

Officials continue to monitor and work with  DEFRA on issues which may extend to Scotland or have a potential impact in Scotland
The Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill has now gone through Parliament.  A code of practice for buyers of dogs is now being developed, with a consultation and public awareness campaign to take place in due course.
There is an ongoing Members Bill on dog theft and greyhounds
There is an ongoing Members Bill in the UK Parliament on the import of dogs, cats and ferrets, which has now been extended to Scotland
A workshop on qualitative behavioural assessment welfare workshop was held on 5 February, and was well attended by policy and industry stakeholders 
Work is ongoing in several other areas, including on:

• Canine fertility services
• Castration and tail docking of lambs
• Livestock transport between islands and mainland Scotland; and welfare of trade
• Welfare of fish at time of killing 

Animal Welfare Committee

Madeleine Campbell provided an update on some of its ongoing work, including activity around the following areas:

• International rehoming
• Precision bred animals
• Livestock breeding
• Fur – responsible sourcing
• High concentration CO2 stunning of pigs
• Laying hen welfare in non-cage systems
• A report on the welfare implications of feline breeding practices was published
• A report on the welfare implications of specialised canine reproductive practices was published

Work Group Updates

Aquaculture

Members of the working group are continuing to draft the report on their cleanerfish work.

Dog Training

Members of the working group are continuing to draft the report on their aversive training methods work.

Sentience

Members of the working group are continuing to draft the report on their fish sentience work.

Wildlife Welfare

Members are currently drafting an animal welfare risk assessment report on wild animal translocations.

Responsible Cat Care

A report on responsible ownership and care of domestic cats was published at the beginning of February.

Local Authorities Handling Animal Welfare Issues

The working group continues to discuss these issues and engage with local authorities across Scotland to learn about the issues they face.

Slaughter and Mobile Abattoirs

Members have begun drafting a report on the issues around issues around slaughter and mobile abattoir provision in Scotland.

Performing Animals

Members continue to discuss the welfare of animals used under different types of management, including the lives of these animals when not on exhibit/in use.

Equine Welfare

A new working group has been set up to look at issues around equine welfare for leisure horses in Scotland, and will hold its first meeting in March.

Work Plan Discussion

Members discussed if any potential revisions should be made to the current work plan.

Next Meeting/s

The next plenary meeting will take place on Thursday 22nd May 2025.

Any other business

EuroFAWC’s annual meeting in 2025 is taking place in June, in Vienna.  SAWC members discussed what topics they would like to suggest for inclusion in the programme.

Future media handling of SAWC publications was also discussed.