- Changes to database system follow recommendations of the Pet
Theft Taskforce
- New requirements will apply to both cats and dogs
- Improvements will make it easier to reunite lost or stolen
pets with their owners
New proposals to make it easier to reunite lost or stolen cats
and dogs with their owners were set out by the Government today.
An eight-week
consultation will seek views on improvements to the pet
microchipping database system, including faster access for
approved users and regular reminders for keeping records updated
which will help improve breeder traceability.
The recommendations follow last year’s Pet Theft Taskforce
report, which highlighted the need to improve navigation of
the database system and the transfer of keepership records.
The consultation seeks views on new requirements for registering
additional details and a single point of access so microchip
records can quickly be accessed by approved users to help
identify the owners and keepers of pets. The transferring of
keepership records will also be strengthened to prevent lost or
stolen animals being re-registered without the keeper being
aware, and to stop the creation of duplicate records.
The proposals aim to improve breeder traceability by making it
compulsory for the breeder’s details to remain on the database
for the lifetime of the animal - even when the animal changes
keeper or when the microchip record is transferred to another
database.
Animal Welfare Minister said:
Pets are much loved members of the family, and microchipping is
the best way of making sure owners can be reunited if their pet
is ever sadly lost or stolen.
We have reviewed the current regulations and the Pet Theft
Taskforce’s recommendations, and it is clear improvements are
needed to better protect the welfare of our nation’s pets. These
proposals will create a more effective system to better animal
welfare and deter pet theft.
David Bowles, Head of Public Affairs at the RSPCA,
said:
We are pleased to see Defra launching a consultation into
improvements to the microchipping database system. We’d support
the introduction of a single, centralised database of
microchipped cats and dogs or would love to see better
collaboration and communication between the current 16 separate
databases.
This would make it much easier to quickly reunite stray, missing
and stolen pets with their owners and would also save a lot of
time for charities, such as the RSPCA, local authorities and vets
when they’re trying to trace an owner.
Justine Shotton, British Veterinary Association
President, said:
We’re delighted that the Government is gathering views on how to
make the microchipping system fit for purpose. We strongly
recommend microchipping as a safe, effective and permanent way to
identify individual animals, but the sheer number of databases
and the fact that they don’t routinely communicate with each
other currently present significant barriers to successful
reunification of lost pets and owners.
Streamlining the system into a single point of entry and driving
up standards across all databases would help to spare heartache
for many pet owners and start things on a positive footing when
compulsory cat microchipping is rolled out next year.
The changes will also apply to cats after 99% of people supported
a proposal to introduce compulsory cat
microchipping in a recent consultation. Cat microchip records
will be stored on the existing database system and benefit from
the new improvements.
