BVA praises Welsh dog microchipping ruling

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has reacted positively to news that the Welsh government has introduced compulsory microchipping legislation for dogs.

It has been announced that all canines in Wales will need to be microchipped by March 1st 2015, a decision that follows on from a similar policy being introduced in Northern Ireland last year, while England will follow suit from April 2016.

As a founding member of the Microchipping Alliance – an organisation dedicated to campaigning for compulsory dog microchipping across the UK – the BVA has hailed this as a positive development.

It believes this will make it much easier to reunite lost or stray dogs with their owners and will now focus on lobbying the Scottish government to fall in line with the rest of the UK.

Peter Jones, president of the BVA, said: "The BVA has been campaigning for compulsory microchipping of all dogs for many years and so we are delighted that the Welsh government will bring in new legislation soon."

Earlier this month, the association also welcomed news that the use of wild animals in travelling circuses will soon be banned in England, thanks to laws that will come into effect in December 2015.