Important - north hertfordshire county council

[serpentsupplies]

yeah , whgat is the usually deliberation time for these sorts of things?

[Chris Newman]

With regards to last night’s meeting of North Hertfordshire District Council Licensing Committee at which they proposed a ban the sales of reptiles from pet shops, that proposal was immediately withdrawn after the presentations, which is good news.

Below is the oral and written submission.

Chris


Mr Chairman thank you for allowing me to speak, I fully appreciate the busy schedule for this evening so I will be brief.

My name is Chris Newman, I am a consultant to the Reptile & Exotic Pet Trade Association, a position I have held for the past five years. My unpaid job is chairman of the Federation of British Herpetologists, which represents private keepers of reptiles and amphibians - a position I have held for the past ten years.

I have kept reptiles since the age of 5, a total of 45 years. I have been involved with the Animal Welfare Act since its inception; I chaired the government Working Group on Pet Fairs/Shows. I also sat on the Pet Vending Group, and the group that endeavoured to defined ‘welfare’. Additionally, I sit on many governmental and non-governmental committees that deal with reptile related issues be these welfare or conservation.

I am surprised, and not a little disappointed, that a forward thinking and progressive body such as North Hertfordshire District Council should come forward with such an ill-considered an outdated proposal as to prohibit pet shops to sell reptiles. I would question if the Council even has the legal power to do so!

Notwithstanding this, should the Council choose to enact the proposed ban on the sale of reptiles through pet shops, that decision would be challengeable by means of Judicial Review. I have know doubt such a challenge would be made, and I have absolutely no doubt what the outcome of such a challenge would be.

Clearly the proposal to ban sales is a decision not based on science, or even on best available evidence, I can only conclude it is based on prejudice or discrimination – neither of which are acceptable in a modern society.

Reptiles have been the fastest growing sector of the pet industry for the past two decades. I have provided the committee with a brief fact sheet relating to reptiles, but let me just highlighting one of the points.

This is a paragraph taken from a report published by the Companion Animal Welfare Council [CAWC] back in 2003. CAWC being the formal advisor to government on companion animal welfare matters:

‘……it may be easier to keep some non-domesticated species to high welfare standards than some that are domesticated. Thus, meeting all the requirements - space, dietary, social, thermal, and so on - of a small, hardy, reptile may be more readily achievable for many people than adequately fulfilling all the needs of some breeds of dog’

It is very important when choosing a pet the perspective owner is able to make an informed choice as to suitability of species. Reptiles are the first choice for many families with allergy sufferers, and also for those people who work or are absent from home for periods which would make mammals or birds unsuitable.

Increasingly reptiles are also the choice for pet owners who care for the environment and native ecology, both of which suffer the ravages of what are perceived as more domesticated pets such as cats and dogs.

I think it would be utterly inappropriate, not to say highly discriminatory to ban sales of animals which are the first choice for responsible and well informed pet keeper, this point is reflected in the extremely low numbers of these animals which fall into the hands of rescue centres.

On this occasion I hope common sense will prevail and pet keepers will be able to continue to make properly informed decisions as to the animals they are permitted to purchase - what ever those animals may be.

Thank you for your time.

An appraisal of Reptiles as pets

• Reptiles are increasing in popularity as pets as many are easier to keep than many other traditional pets. A quote from the governments advisers on animal welfare CAWC [Companion Animal Welfare Council]:

“it may be easier to keep some non-domesticated species to high welfare standards than some that are domesticated. Thus, meeting all the requirements - space, dietary, social, thermal, and so on - of a small, hardy, reptile may be more readily achievable for many people than adequately fulfilling all the needs of some breeds of dog”

• Responsible Pet Owning [data from RSPCA sources, 2003]:

Ø In the UK there are 6.5 million companion dogs

Ø There are over 5 million companion reptiles

Ø The RSPCA rescue or re-home on average 25,000 dogs a year (0.38% of total companion dogs)

Ø RSPCA rescue or re-home less than a 900 reptiles on average (0.018% of total companion reptiles)

• Statistically reptiles are the second safest pet to keep, just behind tropical fish. Data from HASS [Home Accident Surveillance System, 2002] numbers of people visited hospital due to injuries received from animals:

Dogs: 64,063 (0.98% of companion dogs caused an injury)
Reptiles: 328 (0.006% of companion reptiles caused an injury)

• In 2008 REPTA [Reptile & Exotic Pet Trade Association] valued the reptile sector of the pet industry at £130 million. According to AMA research the pet trade overall was valued at £4.7 billion in 2008.

• Reptiles have been the fastest growing sector of the pet industry for the past two decades. According to the Pet Care Trust's State of the Sector Report 2006, 24.4% of retailers questioned sold reptiles.

• In 2004 in excess of 1 million homes kept more than 5 million reptiles and amphibians. By 2008 estimates are the 1.2 million households keep over 7 million pet reptiles.

• Colubrid snakes (corns, rats, milks etc), leopard geckos, bearded dragons and tortoises represent in excess of 75% of reptiles in trade. 90% of animals in trade are captive bred with over 300,000 reptiles and amphibians being bred in the UK each year and this is increasing.

• In 2004 over ten million crickets were bred each week in the UK to feed pet reptiles, by 2008 this had doubled to over twenty million crickets a week. The pet industry sells in excess of 1,000 vivariums each and every week from pet shops.

[serpentsupplies]

brilliant chris, brilliant! well done

[blazingtortoise]

Good news!

[PawsForThought]

Yay! Well done Chris! That's brilliant news!

[blazingtortoise]

Juat a thought, did anyone there speak in support of the proposed ban? If so who were they and what did they say?

[grannykins]

Well done

[cornsnakejay]

nice one!

Originally Posted by blazingtortoise

Juat a thought, did anyone there speak in support of the proposed ban? If so who were they and what did they say?

i'm curious about this too

[Chris Newman]

Originally Posted by blazingtortoise

Juat a thought, did anyone there speak in support of the proposed ban? If so who were they and what did they say?

The proposal its self came direct form within the Council. At the meeting itself the agenda items were read out and then we were allowed to make representation to the Council members. After the representation was given, the Council members were more interested in ‘how’ the Council had come to make such a proposal and no defence was offered, it was withdrawn immediately.

[stubeanz]

a incredibly well planned report! chris you are a legend
stu