Murdo Fraser MSP has joined forces with leading dog welfare organisations to urge action in Scotland on the use of electric shock collars.
The Scottish Conservative politician recently attended a drop-in session at the Scottish Parliament hosted by Christine Grahame MSP, in association with The Kennel Club and Scottish SPCA, to explore the negative impact of electric shock collars on dog welfare and urge action on the issue.
The session allowed MSPs to learn more about the devices for themselves.
Electric shock collars deliver an electric shock to a dog’s neck via a remote control, up to a radius of two miles – meaning a dog not within sight of its owner could still receive the stimulus – and for up to 11 seconds at a time. The Kennel Club has long campaigned for a ban on these devices in Scotland, alongside the Scottish SPCA.
Wide-ranging evidence has demonstrated the detrimental effect these can have on the welfare of dogs.
Commenting, Mr Fraser, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, said: “Electric shock collars have been banned in Wales since 2010 under The Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (Wales) Regulations and have also recently been banned in France as of January 2023.
“The Scottish Government introduced guidance condemning the use of shock collars in 2018 and hailed this an ‘effective ban’ on the use of these devices. However, the guidance has since proven to be ineffective in stopping the use of electric shock collars and the drop-in session highlighted concerns around this and urged action from the Scottish Government.
“I am delighted to give my backing to the campaign for a ban on electric shock collars.”
