Working locally – Local Government and Animal Welfare Ian MacFarlaine Animal Welfare Officer, Trafford Council, Greater Manchester, UK

Who am I??? I have worked in the Animal welfare field for 18 years. Since 2002 I have worked in local (municipal) government in the UK; In my spare time I volunteer with several NGOs based in the UK who work overseas on animal welfare projects – so for today I am going to give you a brief overview of the role of local government, before speaking more in depth about feral cat issues which I understand is an important problem for Tallinn. PICTURE FROM FARM

The UK: Who Does What? Local Government (2 levels): Local Government (2 levels): Stray Dogs Inspecting commercial premises with Animals Animal Welfare and Health on Farms Companion animal welfare (indirect) Central Govt – State Veterinary Service & Customs Smuggling and CITES Disease & Border Control Welfare at slaughter NGOs: Cruelty/neglect – companion animals and horses Rehoming unwanted animals and strays Police forces Wildlife protection Some of the other areas

UK NGOs working in Animal Welfare law enforcement About 430 Officers Historical role since 1822 No statutory powers (except SSPCA) 2000 Private Prosecutions a year Non-Government funded

Local Government The animal welfare responsibility is normally split between two tiers of local government The “County” tier looks after farm animals health and welfare, disease control, and some border work The “District” tier looks after companion animal issues, licensing of animal businesses, dog control etc Some authorities are “Unitary” – they combine Some authorities are “Unitary” – they combine both tiers in one. both tiers in one. Some authorities carry out extra (optional) work beyond Some authorities carry out extra (optional) work beyond their statutory responsibilities their statutory responsibilities

Trafford Council SW Manchester Human Population 213, Farms 100 Pet shops / Boarding Kennels / Equestrian Centres / Stables etc..

Trafford Council - Animals In 2003 the Council realised that it could improve they way it approaches its animal welfare responsibilities The Council created an “Animal Welfare Charter” and centralised all animal welfare responsibilities (except stray dogs) in one Officer post

Animal Welfare Charter The Charter is a clear, tangible statement of Trafford Council’s intention to protect animals and promote their health and welfare in the geographical area we control. It is a demonstration of the importance of the Council’s responsibilities to animals, both statutory and moral. The charter also encompasses the Five Freedoms… The charter also encompasses the Five Freedoms… - Freedom from fear and distress - Freedom from hunger and thirst - Freedom from pain, disease and injury - Freedom to express normal behaviour - Freedom from physical discomfort

Animal Welfare Charter In July 2003 the Council consulted residents via its own newspaper, and local forums, as well as partner agencies Of the replies received - 90% broadly in favour Key questions raised included…

Consultation 1. Should Trafford Council Have an Animal Welfare Charter?

Consultation 2. Should Trafford Council advise and work with local organisations and businesses to promote animal welfare?

Consultation 3. Should Trafford Council promote animal welfare education within schools?

Consultation 4. Should Trafford Council be support moves for national legislation change to improve conditions for animals?

So how do we do it and who do we work with?

Stray Dogs & Dog Control - The Council provides a “Dog Warden” service (this is in partnership with an external company) which as well as collecting lost animals, carries out law enforcement and educational work. Outsourcing to an external company means more pooling of resources is possible with other Councils. - TNR is not appropriate for stray dogs in the UK due to the low level of problem; plus our infrastructure allows the problem to be tackled solely by rehoming – there are no feral dogs in the UK - We augment the work by educational talks, microchipping schemes etc, and work with NGOs who provide free neutering services

Stray and Feral Cats The Council has no legal obligation to deal with these. The work relating to stray and feral cats is mostly carried out by NGOs in the area. We do, however, work in partnership with NGOs to carry out TNR for feral cats in any situations we encounter

Animal Hoarders We come across “Hoarders” & “Collectors” during the course of our work. We use our legal powers under Animal Welfare and Public Health Legislation to address these. The aim is for non-lethal and consensus resolution of these cases, by rehoming and neutering. Since 2003, by working in partnership with NGOs such as the RSPCA and Cats Protection we have a 100% record of non-lethal solutions to these cases.

Horses We encounter problems with stray & illegally grazed horses, including significant welfare problems. This March we established a partnership group of the Council, ILPH, RSPCA, Landowners and Police to tackle this issue from a number of angles

Animal Premises We license premises where animals are kept commercially, such as pet shops, kennels and riding schools. We try to exceed our required inspection interval and at the same time continually strive to improve welfare by educating business owners, at the same time working closely with Industry advisory groups

Farms Again, we exceed the minimum inspection interval where possible. We promote the “educational” aspect of our Animal Health role – proactively encouraging farmers to approach us for information and guidance before they break the law! We work in partnership with Government Vets from DEFRA

Live Animal Transport We work in partnership with other councils and the Greater Manchester Police to enforce the law relating to Live Animal Transport. Our officers regularly join police patrols to check livestock lorries at the roadside, as well as routine checks on vehicles while on farm

Partnership working Organisations in the UK are getting better at this than they used to be Each organisation needs to make the effort to learn about the others they are working with, and understand the problems they face. Sometimes organisations need to get their own internal relationships sorted out first Some partnership arrangements work well without any formal structure, others require regular contact NGO people are usually fairly nice although sometimes NGO people are usually fairly nice although sometimes a bit strange – don’t be scared of them!! a bit strange – don’t be scared of them!!

Next step I am assuming you’ll all be running straight to your telephones to contact your NGOs I am assuming you’ll all be running straight to your telephones to contact your NGOs More detailed slides and information on some of the areas covered today are available - please contact me (limited number on disc) More detailed slides and information on some of the areas covered today are available - please contact me (limited number on disc)  I am always happy to assist and advise if I can  Come and speak to me afterwards if I can help or advise; or me at at

Tänan Photographs: Ian MacFarlaine; Debbie Howe, Meredith Weiss, Lauren Williams, Anita Ghafoor, Alley Cat Allies,