Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: workplan – December 2022

Ongoing Projects

Animal sentience

A Sentience Sub-Committee was set up at the end of 2021, in order to assist the other members of SAWC in filtering and prioritising issues relating to animal sentience. Ongoing work includes the development of an ethics and justice framework, drawing on recent Aquaculture Working Group work, and assembling evidence in relation to fish sentience. 

Exotic pets

Consider the issues (such as numbers of animals, current regulation, issues with importation and wild caught animals, etc.), and recommend whether there is a need for further statutory measures to regulate ownership of certain types of pet, such as a positive list, or traffic light system. An interim report has already been published and subsequently a literature review has been undertaken.

Timescale

Final report and literature review were published on 11 November 2022.

Wildlife welfare

Scottish Government has a Programme for Government commitment to publish ‘a strategic approach to wildlife management that puts animal welfare at the centre while protecting public health and economic and conservation considerations.” SAWC is engaging with NatureScot on their wildlife welfare principles which forms part of this commitment.

Beavers

Investigate and make recommendations on welfare issues associated with the management and control of wild beavers in Scotland. Activity was paused while a judicial review, considering the issue of licences for killing beavers, was underway – this concluded in October 2021, at which point members reconvened to continue their evidence gathering process.

Timescale

Report was published on 13 December 2022.

Aquaculture

Identify potential welfare issues and prepare a report on the areas of initial focus – salmon farming and acoustic deterrent devices. A lengthy-evidence gathering process has been undertaken, including a field visit to a salmon farm, surveying and interviewing of a range of industry experts, and conducting an ethical review.

Timescale

Initial report on acoustic deterrent devices by February 2023.

Dog training

Review and provide an initial report on the welfare issues associated with the use of electronic collars on dogs and consider whether there should be licensing of these service providers. Evidence gathering so far has included engagement with a range of stakeholders and a review of the available literature on the issue. Once the report is complete, consider expanding the remit to looking at wider aspects of dog training, grooming and other companion animal services.

Timescale

Evidence gathering is still in progress and an initial report will be published in 2023.

Snaring

Conduct a review of the welfare issues surrounding the use of snares in Scotland, taking into account the implications of a decision to keep or amend current regulation relating to their use.

Timescale

Position Paper was published on 9 December 2022.

Greyhound racing

Recent petitions on banning racing greyhounds have increased awareness of potential welfare concerns. In May 2022 SAWC responded to an enquiry by the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee, with an opinion on the welfare of greyhound racing in Scotland and on unlicensed greyhound racing tracks operating in Scotland. 

SAWC has formed a working group to undertake more research and fully consider the available evidence, in order to reach a balanced conclusion by the end of February 2023.

Local authorities handling animal welfare issues

Consider reviewing how different authorities deal with animal welfare issues, whether there are experts who can assess welfare and whether any future recommendations could feasibly be met by the local authorities.

Other potential areas in medium term

Microchipping of domestic cats

Consider welfare aspects of microchipping domestic cats, compulsory neutering of cats and outdoor cat controls.

Wildcat reintroduction

Opportunity for SAWC to review policy in this area or provide an opinion on welfare issues at some point.

Abattoir provision and opportunities for mobile slaughterhouses

From a Scottish perspective to review the welfare issues around numbers of abattoirs and their geographical distribution, slaughter journey times and the welfare of animals killed in mobile slaughterhouses.

Performing animals and animal encounters (potentially including therapy animals)

Currently stakeholder engagement activities in this area, but SAWC could provide an opinion on welfare of animals used under these different types of management, including the lives of these animals when not on exhibit/in use.

Potential areas over a longer time scale

Codes of practice vs. industry guidance

Provide an opinion on how information can be best disseminated and its impact in practice. Role for SAWC in reviewing revised or new versions of these (alongside activities of AWC), particularly those falling under areas of particular Scottish concerns such as aquaculture.

Rewilding

Projects involving release of wild, domestic or semi-domestic animals into a wild or partly wild setting raise various welfare concerns. SAWC would review these issues and provide best practice/policy advice – this could potentially follow on from current work looking at snaring.

Welfare of horses kept for racing

Currently no plans to look at this specifically, but may respond in future if specific questions in this area.

Other annual commitments

• annual report 2021 - 2022  published on 22 December 2022
• annual review of Scottish Government activity affecting the welfare of animals, as sentient beings published on 28 October 2022