Scottish ministers are being accused of “dragging their heels” when it comes to banning electric shock dog collars.
Back in 2018, the Scottish Government confirmed there would be an effective ban on these collars in Scotland – but seven years later, this has not happened.
Roseanna Cunningham, who was environment secretary at the time, said: “Causing pain to dogs by inappropriate training methods is clearly completely unacceptable and I want there to be no doubt that painful or unpleasant training for dogs will not be tolerated.”
These collars are used to train dogs using electric shocks, but campaigners such as the SSPCA and the Kennel Club argue they are cruel and ineffective as a training device.
Conservative MSP Maurice Golden says it is a “farce” ministers are still consulting on this issue despite years of promising to implement a ban.
Get daily political analysis – subscribe for free to The Steamie
Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, he said: “I have a growing sense of frustration.
“The government agreed to this in the last session and said it would be reviewed by April 2021, so what on earth is going on here?
“I very much suspect all the stakeholders support a ban, so why is the government dragging their heels on this?
“It has literally been years and years in the making. There are a lot of unanswered questions on why they have not done it yet.
“My concern is that like many Scottish Government policies, ministers are running down the clock and then this will be extended over three parliamentary sessions, which is a farce.”
A parliamentary session is the time Holyrood sits between elections – if this issue is pushed beyond the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, it will have been considered across three parliamentary sessions.
Mr Golden, who represents the North East region, added: “Dogs are sentient beings. Giving them electric shocks is deeply harmful, not just physically but emotionally.
“If a member of the public tried one on themselves, they would not be using it on a dog.
“The worst part of this is dogs do not understand why they are being shocked, they can’t associate behaviour with wrongdoing.
“So this is just a harmful device that terrifies dogs into acting in an abnormal way.”
Earlier this year the Scottish Greens had lodged proposals to criminalise the use of electric shock dog collars.
Ross Greer MSP lodged an amendment to the Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill, but it was voted down by 84 votes to 28. This bill became an act in March.
The Scottish Government says it is carrying out a consultation because currently only “e-collars” are recommended for a potential ban.
They said: “As part of our review of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) Act 2020, we considered whether or not further legal provisions are required on the use of collars that use a static pulse on animals.
“To date, the only type of device recommended for a ban by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission is remote-controlled static pulse training collars, which they describe as e-collars.
“On this basis, we have committed to consulting on a potential ban of these specific devices.”
