The Compulsory Microchipping and Scanning of Cats in Northern Ireland

With the compulsory microchipping of cats legislation currently going very well in England, and progressing well in Wales and Scotland, we are saddened the same enthusiasm has not been shown in Northern Ireland. We have also been contacted by quite a number of our supporters in NI asking we continue to push for the people and cats of Northern Ireland. Which we intend to do.

We have been in contact with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for some time now, and have continued to keep them in the loop on the England legislation. Early correspondence determined that, although supportive of the idea overall, microchipping and scanning have never been raised with them before so they were unsure what the appetite for it was. For that reason, they saw no immediate need to consider such, but would keep it under review.

We then wrote to the department and, together with numerous other animal organisations, to show that there is an appetite for it and we are asking Northern Ireland hear the views of the public and interest groups by opening a public consultation and begin their own research into microchipping and scanning, just like the other 3 nations have, or will be doing in due course. Our letter is as follows;

31st July 2022

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs The UK Government announced in December 2021 that new legislation would be brought forward which would make it compulsory to microchip cats. They noted that: • 99% of people support compulsory microchipping for cats according to the recent UK Government consultation. • Owners will be required to microchip their cats by the time they reach 20 weeks of age • Microchipping cats will help reunite thousands of lost or stray pets every year The UK Government has recently concluded a second consultation on the legislative changes. The consultation page notes that the proposed changes aim to improve the operation of the microchipping database system, making it easier to identify pet keepers and to reunite pets with their keepers. This will mean reduced costs to local authorities, vets, and animal shelters, as well as benefiting animal welfare and deterring pet theft. At its meeting, on 16 December 2021, the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee considered a letter it had received from CatsMatter highlighting the decision by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to introduce legislation in 2022. The department noted that they have not received any other requests to consider making the microchipping of cat’s compulsory and, although the issue will be kept under review, it has not determined any immediate need to develop proposals in Northern Ireland due to a lack of knowledge of the appetite for such legislation. This letter asks for considerations to hearing the views of the public and interest groups by opening a public consultation, with the potential to begin your own research into microchipping and scanning as the other 3 nations have/soon will be doing. This letter aims to show the appetite for such through the public endorsement of animal organisations that reside in and/or operate within Northern Ireland, including the two largest animal protection NGOs in the country. We aim also to highlight the supporting statistical evidence.

The Department’s Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats recommends that cat owners ensure their cats are identified so that they can be treated quickly if injured or returned home if lost. England, Scotland, and Wales each have a very similar Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats, with England determining this does not go far enough as voluntary action, and the two devolved nations also considering this to be the case. The most recent data for Northern Ireland stresses that voluntary action, unfortunately, is not enough. A Cats Protection report found that over 22% of households own at least one cat. Figures show there are over 290,000 cats in Northern Ireland, with 110,000 of these not being microchipped. Just 57% of cats were found to have a microchip, compared to 71% in the rest of the UK. In June 2022, Wales, and Scotland each debated introducing the compulsory microchipping of cats, as well as changes to the scanning system. Together they have commissioned research to discover the benefits of extending the current legislation that applies for dogs to cats, and we would urge the Northern Ireland administration to consider a similar approach. Many residents and organisations in Northern Ireland support microchipping on the grounds that it increases the chance of missing cats being reunited with their owner and provides benefits to the cat on animal welfare grounds. Microchips support improved cat welfare by enabling quicker identification of their owner and enabling vets to carry out treatment in discussion with them, if required. The campaign we lead centres around road traffic accidents, and sadly we hear often of cats being euthanized, sometimes with treatable injuries and very minor cuts and bruises, simply due to no owner being locatable due to the cat not having a microchip. The Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 clearly states that persons are responsible for their cat’s welfare needs. However, if owners are untraceable in the event of an accident, it is not likely they are able to comply with this. Blue Cross stated in 2017 that a staggering 80% of cats that were brought into them were not microchipped, and for those admitted as a stray there was no way the charity could track down their owners so the pet charity had to find them a loving new home. This uses valuable charity resources and prevents them helping genuine strays/ferals. Currently, due to the pandemic and cost of living crisis, more pets than ever are awaiting rescue help, with some shelters having waiting lists into the hundreds. We have found that many rescue organisations believe a large section of animals in their care, mostly cats, do in fact have owners but there is no way of them locating them to send them home when no chip is present. In terms of scanning, DEFRA also consulted on the issue of mandatory scanning. Whether local authorities should be required to scan dead cats and dogs brought to them also had support from the vast majority of respondents, including among veterinary and key animal organisations. During our research for DEFRA, our own research working with official council data swiftly became clear that there is a financial burden on local authorities when a cat is not microchipped. When a cat is scanned and a chip is found to be present, it ultimately saves locally authorities money, which we would have thought would be much appreciated in the current climate. During our research for DEFRA, freedom of information data revealed that local authorities pay between £6.71 - £30 per cat for the uplift and disposal of. Our research working with official council data swiftly became clear that there is a financial burden on councils when a cat is not microchipped. Although this was a small-scale study for the benefit of the microchipping research, we were able to combine these findings with previous findings from a slightly larger scale study in partnership with the London Assembly which focused on 4312 cats collected from 28 councils. Being able to combine both sets of solid data, we were able to conclude that London councils alone spend around £129,390.00 on the disposal of cats that are not microchipped. Applying this to all councils in England shown that a little over £44 million could be saved in a 3-year period. We acknowledge that scanning, and potential updates to the database system, is ongoing with DEFRA and, at the time of writing this, DEFRA have not yet published proposals on new polices in this area. Our organisation is focused on the scanning of cats by local councils. However, the DEFRA consultations also focused on the scanning of microchips by veterinary professionals, both at first presentation and at the time of euthanasia. We ask that considerations are made to scanning in each area, and the publication of those results by DEFRA are reviewed.

To again highlight a number of benefits to Northern Ireland also considering this legislation include; • The ability to identify lost, stray, stolen or injured cats. • The ability for local authorities to identify dead cats and be able to notify the owners, which in turn is financially beneficial to them. • Assisting with record keeping for health test results. • Assisting with tracing and identification in the event of a disease outbreak. • Assisting with enforcement, for example of cat theft, identification and arrest in animal cruelty cases.

We look forward to your thoughts on any potential public consultation on the issues of the compulsory microchipping of cats, and the potential implementation of mandatory scanning/scanning reform by local authorities and veterinary practices. Ourselves and the following organisations would very much appreciate having the option to put forward our thoughts.

Your sincerely

CatsMatter

Animal Psychology Clinic, Belfast.

Animal Tracker, United Kingdom.

Assisi Animal Sanctuary, Northern Ireland.

Cats and Kittens, Northern Ireland.

Dog Lost, United Kingdom.

Feline Network Cat Rescue, United Kingdom.

Ferns Law, United Kingdom.

Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, United Kingdom.

Humane Society International, United Kingdom.

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), United Kingdom.

Lost Paws Lost and Found, Northern Ireland.

Pet Database, Northern Ireland.

Petlog, United Kingdom.

Pet Theft Awareness, United Kingdom.

Pet Theft Reform, United Kingdom.

Rescue Cats, Northern Ireland.

Stolen & Missing Pets Alliance, United Kingdom.

Tuks Law, United Kingdom.

The Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA), Northern Ireland.

Vet Pet, Northern Ireland.

Vets Get Scanning, United Kingdom.

Virbac, United Kingdom.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) heard our letter loud and clear, and have now agreed to consider the inclusion of cat microchipping in it's upcoming Animal Welfare Action Plan, providing the Minister gives approval. Today we got word it has been approved and cat microchipping will be included and is currently being developed! What happens once it is published is research will be conducted and, should evidence then suggest that legislative changes are needed, a public consultation will commence