Calls to ban electric collars after Court of Appeal judgment

The Kennel Club is urging “swift action” to implement a ban on the use of electric collars in England, following a Court of Appeal judgment last week which dismissed the appeal of the Electronic Collar Manufacturers Association and Petsafe Ltd.

Writing to Zac Goldsmith, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Minister, the Kennel Club stated that “the outcome of the legal challenge, which had previously delayed DEFRA from bringing about any legislative action, saw the appeal from the Electric Collar Manufacturers Association and Petsafe Ltd  thrown out, as the Government presented evidence to demonstrate that electric shock collars can have a detrimental effect on the welfare of dogs.”

Research funded by DEFRA demonstrated that electronic collars can have a detrimental effect on the welfare of dogs by causing them unnecessary harm and suffering, with 25 per cent of dogs trained with shock collars showing signs of stress.

Only days before the judgment the Government had announced a new Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which aims to ban the use of electric collars among other things.

Dr Ed Hayes, Head of Public Affairs at The Kennel Club, said, “The Court of Appeal judgment should be the final step on this hard fought path to ban the use of electric shock collars in England and we have written to the Minister to urge that the strong words and commitments made are swiftly converted into action.

“We are delighted that the Government has committed to banning these unnecessary and cruel devices in their action plan; research demonstrates that a reward-based approach is more effective than delivering painful electric shocks when training dogs and leading veterinary bodies in the UK and Europe are aligned in their opposition against shock collars.

“We have been extensively lobbying the UK Government and the devolved administrations for years on this issue. The Government previously committed to banning these harmful devices however the legal challenge, which has now finally been brought to a close, had considerably delayed DEFRA from acting. There is now no room to lose the forward momentum in bringing about the ban.”

Image by the Kennel Club