More accurate records will make it easier to identify owners of
stray pets.
Reforms will help reunite thousands of lost or stolen animals
every year and deter pet theft.
Progresses key Pet Theft Taskforce recommendations and Action
Plan for Animal Welfare pledge.
Lost or stolen pets will be
reunited with their owners more quickly under reforms to the pet
microchipping system announced today (29 March).
With over nine million pet dogs
and nine million pet cats in England, it is devasting for owners
when they are lost or stolen. Microchipping is the most effective
and quickest way of identifying pets, with microchipped dogs more
than twice as likely to be reunited with their owner.
Reforms set out today will help
reunite stray pets by making microchip records easier to access,
improving the accuracy of microchip information, and
standardising database operator processes.
The new measures will help
deter pet theft by creating more opportunities for suspicious
activity to be flagged. This will include requiring database
operators to provide a field indicating whether the pet has been
reported as 'missing', strengthening the process for transferring
keepership of a pet by ensuring the current keeper has 28 days to
object, and preventing the creation of duplicate records.
The changes also include the
creation of a central portal that approved users – including
vets, local authorities, and police - can use to search microchip
records rather than having to contact separate databases
individually, which can delay the time taken for pets to be
returned home.
Animal Welfare Minister
Lord Douglas Miller said:
“Pets are treasured members of
the family so it can be devasting for owners when they are lost
or stolen.
“These vital reforms will
simplify the microchipping system to make it quicker for vets,
local authorities and police to access important information when
they need it, helping to safeguard pets from theft and increase
the likelihood of lost pets being returned home.”
, Battersea’s Head of Policy
& Public Affairs, said:
“Battersea is incredibly
pleased with these reforms to the microchipping system, which
will improve services for owners, enforcers and rescues alike. We
see dogs and cats arrive at our centres every day with
out-of-date microchips, or sadly no microchip at all, making it
near impossible for our staff to reunite people with their pets.
These reforms, which we have been calling for for some time, will
not only help rescues like Battersea reunite more pets in less
time, but also hopefully better protect dogs and cats from
theft.
“With only several weeks to go
until the law requires millions of cats to be microchipped, it is
vital that the country’s microchipping system is as effective and
robust possible and we will continue to work with Defra and other
organisations to ensure that this is the
case.”
RSPCA Chief Executive
Chris Sherwood said:
“Microchipping our pets is so
important and provides reassurance and security, should they go
missing, that they’ll be able to be identified and returned home
quickly.
“A centralised portal with more
accurate records will ensure that animals who end up with vets,
local authorities and charities, like the RSPCA, can be traced
back to their owners as quickly as possible, minimising the
stress and anxiety they may feel being away from everything they
know.”
British Veterinary
Association President Anna Judson
said:
“Microchipping is a vital tool
for vets working to identify lost pets and to successfully
reunite them with their owners. The British Veterinary
Association has been pressing for action to address issues with
the current database system, which have been a source of ongoing
frustration.
“These new measures are a
positive step forwards and the new portal should help vet teams
to check multiple databases quickly, identify and reunite cats
and dogs with their owners and provide prompt treatment where
needed.”
Today’s announcement follows a
government consultation on the
issue in which over 96% of respondents expressed support for the
measures, and progresses an Action Plan for Animal Welfare pledge
and key recommendations from the Pet Theft Taskforce. It
also builds upon wider work to make it easier for lost, stray, or
stolen pets to be returned home safely, including making it
compulsory to microchip all pet cats in England by 10 June
2024.
We are also clamping down on
pet theft by taking forward key recommendations from the Pet
Theft Task Force, and have recently confirmed Government support
for the Pet Abduction
Bill.
These commitments are part of a
wider Government effort to build on our existing world-leading
animal welfare standards.
Since publishing the Action
Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021, we have brought in new laws to
recognise animal sentience, introduced tougher penalties for
animal cruelty offences; announced an extension of the ivory ban
to cover other ivory bearing species; supported legislation to
ban glue traps, the import of detached shark fins and measures to
ban the advertising and offering for sale of low welfare
activities abroad.
