Media Operational Notice

Committee Examines Proposed Rule on the Docking of Working Dogs' Tails

At its meeting on Tuesday 08 May, the Assembly Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development will receive a briefing on a proposed new rule relating to the Docking of Working Dogs’ Tails. 

Time:             1.30pm

Date:              Tuesday 08 May

Venue:           Room 30, Parliament Buildings

The briefing from the Department of Agriculture will focus on the process for certifying working dogs. The proposed rule specifies that working dogs should be certified by a Veterinarian within eight weeks of a dog’s birth, and that certified dogs would then be exempt from the ban on tail docking.  The regulation will be introduced under the Welfare of Animals Act.   The clause allowing for docking of working dogs’ tails was one of the most controversial pieces of legislation to go through the Committee in the last mandate.

 The Committee will also receive a briefing from the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) and the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA) as part of its review into Bovine Tuberculosis (TB).

The meeting is open to media and the public.  For a full agenda, click here.