Closed petition PE1938: Introduce compulsory microchipping of cats in Scotland
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to:
- introduce the mandatory microchipping of cats in Scotland; and
- assess the effectiveness of current microchip scanning processes.
Previous action taken
We have worked with Christine Grahame MSP, who attempted to raise the question previously to Parliament but it eventually got dropped without being heard. We have also spoken with Perthshire MP John Nicolson. We did create a petition previously (PE01736) for reportable road accidents alongside compulsory microchipping. It was not taken forward at that time. However, since 2019 when that was created, there has been significant changes in other parts of the UK which the Scottish Government could use as a benchmark.
Background information
England is now set to bring this law forward in 2022 and we would like to see this extended to Scotland. Microchipping offers countless benefits to cats and their owners, especially in terms of reunification if lost, stolen or injured. The UK Government have released their response and consultation results, which saw a 99% approval rate from the public. In 2018, we worked on a Bill which ultimately led to the current upcoming England regulations, and we continue to work with DEFRA as stakeholders on the issue of microchipping and the scanning of microchips.
In terms of the scanning of microchips, we would like to see official 'best practice' guides explored, as well as consideration for mandatory scanning.
Cat Protection figures reveal that 42% of cats in Scotland (290,000 cats) are not microchipped. The UK average was 32%.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
183 signatures