Animal welfare columnist, broadcaster and vet Pete Wedderburn has said that a promised ban on surgical artificial insemination must apply to all dogs including greyhounds.
Describing it as “unnecessary, highly invasive and often painful for dogs”, “Pete the Vet” outlined in his latest column what surgical AI involves: “A female dog is anaesthetised at the time of ovulation, and her abdomen is cut open (in a similar way to the spaying operation). The surgeon locates her uterus, and injects semen directly into it, before suturing the wounds closed.”
He pointed out that the procedure has already been banned in the UK, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands and that after reviewing the facts, the all-party Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture recommended a ban on surgical insemination.
Highlighting concerns that those involved in greyhound racing may seek to evade the ban – as they attempted to do in the past in relation to compulsory microchipping - he emphasised that “there is no reason why greyhounds should be excluded.“
“Greyhounds are dogs - they need to be protected from unnecessary suffering, just like other animals,” he stated.
Read Pete Wedderburn's full column at
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/lifestyle/pete-wedderburn-banning-of-procedures-is-needed-to-protect-dogs/a1853747690.html
Last month, the office of the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue confirmed to ICABS that a ban on surgical artificial insemination “will be implemented”. Responding to a renewed appeal for a ban to be put in place, a spokesperson for Minister McConalogue stated: “The Minister recently convened a Working Group on the Control of Dogs. The report of the Working Group contains a number of recommendations. Following its approval by Cabinet, the report has been published online. Recommendation 10(c) of the report is ‘Prohibit surgical artificial insemination in canines’. It is intended that the recommendations of the working group will be followed up and implemented in the coming period.”
Download the Working Group's report at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/0d6d7-working-group-on-control-of-dogs/#report-of-the-working-group-on-the-control-of-dogs
A ban on surgical artificial insemination is long overdue in Ireland. It is already against the law in the UK, with the British Veterinary Association stating that “experts say it is highly unethical and painful for bitches due to the subsequent pregnancy putting pressure on abdominal wounds”.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons notes that “Surgical Artificial Insemination is prohibited by UK animal welfare legislation which legally restricts mutilations to animals (i.e. procedures which interfere with sensitive tissue or bone structure)”.
ACTION ALERT
Contact Minister Charlie McConalogue and tell him to urgently introduce a ban on surgical artificial insemination for all dogs, including greyhounds.
Charlie McConalogue
Minister for Agriculture
Tel: 01 618 3199 or 01 607 2000
Email: minister@agriculture.gov.ie; charlie.mcconalogue@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CharlieMcConalogue
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@McConalogue