News & Reports dog identification
Getting ready for compulsory microchipping VETS and veterinary nurses across Great Britain are being encouraged to help dog owners prepare for the new regulations that will make microchipping of dogs compulsory in England, Wales and Scotland in 2016. The Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015, which will introduce compulsory microchipping of dogs in England on April 6 next year, came into force on February 24. The Scottish Government confirmed earlier this year that it intends to change the law and to require all dogs in Scotland to be microchipped from April next year (VR, March 14, 2015, vol 176, p 269). The Welsh Government is currently consulting on its plans to introduce compulsory microchipping of dogs in Wales (VR, March 28, 2015, vol 176, p 323). To help vets prepare their clients for the introduction of the new legislation, the BVA has produced posters for display in practices in England, Wales and Scotland. All three posters (pictured) can be downloaded from the BVA’s website at www.bva.co.uk/ News-campaigns-and-policy/Campaigns/ Microchipping-and-registration-for-all-dogs John Blackwell, the BVA President, said: ‘As a founding member of the Microchipping Alliance, which campaigned for compulsory microchipping together with dog welfare organisations, local authorities and others, BVA is delighted with the progress that has been made and it is very good indeed to be less than a year away from mandatory microchipping across the UK. ‘But this is where the work begins for veterinary surgeons and nurses. We need to work hard to make owners aware of the new law throughout this year, with animals microchipped as far in advance of the deadline as possible.’
Veterinary nurses
The RCVS, BVA and British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) have welcomed a decision by Defra to exempt veterinary nurses from a provision within the English legislation requiring dog breeders and other individuals who wish to implant microchips and who have no previous approved training, to undertake a compulsory training course. While veterinary surgeons were exempted from this training from the time the regulations were initially proposed, Defra originally envisaged that veterinary nurses would
From 6 April 2016 F 16 all your dog must be d rom Spring 2016 0 2 g in r ogs in Sc a From Sp ales must be otland m ll b W microchipped by law e ust m in s ic w rochippe dog d by law ped by la ip h c o r mic Talk to se to your vet or vet nurse urTalk yo r vet n today ab ur vet or vet nu our vet o chippingtoday about microchipping y r out micr to lk a T o ochippin se out micr g today ab co.uk ww w.bva.
Veter British
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have to undertake it. However, in a joint letter to Defra, the RCVS, the BVA and the BVNA emphasised that registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) already had sufficient training to allow them to implant a microchip safely and that they would be doing so under the direction of a veterinary surgeon. Following negotiations with Defra, it was subsequently agreed that RVNs were already sufficiently qualified to implant microchips and they would be exempt from the training requirement when the new legislation came into force in England. Neil Smith, the RCVS vice-president, who was involved in the negotiations with Defra, commented: ‘As RVNs are regulated by the RCVS, compulsory microchipping training would have been an unnecessary regulatory burden. It would have also been an additional financial burden to practices, which would have had to be passed on to clients. I am very pleased that Defra recognised this and agreed to exempt veterinary nurses from further training so long as they are under the direction of a veterinary surgeon.’ Fiona Andrew, president of the BVNA said that the right decision had been made, and that it ‘recognises the professionalism and expertise of RVNs and the vital role they play in helping to provide critical services such as microchipping to clients as well as the support they give to veterinary surgeons’. ‘Veterinary nurses will play an important part in the drive to ensure dogs across the country are microchipped before the enforcement deadline,’ she continued. ‘We would take this opportunity to remind
Britis British Veterinary Association h Veter inary As
sociatio n
Scottish Branch ww w.bva. co.uk
our RVN colleagues that in order to be deemed competent under the terms of the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct they should be able to provide details of the previous training they have taken part in or should update their skills to comply with the Code.’ A spokesperson for Defra commented: ‘Defra is very keen to avoid imposing any unnecessary burdens; our discussions with the RCVS, BVA and BVNA are a good example of the sort of collaborative working that helps to ensure we get the most workable legislation possible.’
Adverse reactions
The RCVS says that it is also aware that the new regulations in England make it compulsory to report adverse reactions to microchips, including migration of a microchip from the site of implantation, or the failure of a microchip. Acknowledging that there has been ‘some concern’ about this requirement among the profession, Gordon Hockey, the RCVS Registrar, said: ‘Defra have said that they would not enforce this regulation via the courts, or seek to impose fines. The RCVS is likely to amend its supporting guidance later this year to clarify that veterinary surgeons should make appropriate reports, similar to reports for adverse reactions to veterinary medicines. In each case reports can be made online to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.’
Checking chips
A ‘one-stop microchip look-up tool’ was launched at the BSAVA congress earlier this month to help vets and pet owners April 25, 2015 | Veterinary Record | 425
News & Reports check which database a pet’s microchip is registered with. As of April 6, all microchip databases that comply with the conditions set out in the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 have been required to provide each other with the means to identify which database a pet’s microchip is registered with. Anibase, Avid (PETtrac), Pet Identity UK, Petlog, Pet Protect, Protected Pet and SmartChip (Smart Trac) now provide an online tool to meet this requirement. Vets and pet owners can enter a microchip number on any one of the seven database websites and the number will be
426 | Veterinary Record | April 25, 2015
checked with all seven databases. If the number is valid and the microchip can be located, the status of the microchip, plus the name and contact details of the database, is returned. Only the microchip number is checked and no personal data on the owner/ keeper or animal are shared. Retrieval of this information will still require a secure log-in from an authorised user account. If a microchip number is not located on any of the databases, the database operators will try to determine which database it should be located on using the manufacturer prefix number. doi: 10.1136/vr.h2094
Copyright of Veterinary Record: Journal of the British Veterinary Association is the property of BMJ Publishing Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Getting ready for compulsory microchipping VETS and veterinary nurses across Great Britain are being encouraged to help dog owners prepare for the new regulations that will make microchipping of dogs compulsory in England, Wales and Scotland in 2016. The Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015, which will introduce compulsory microchipping of dogs in England on April 6 next year, came into force on February 24. The Scottish Government confirmed earlier this year that it intends to change the law and to require all dogs in Scotland to be microchipped from April next year (VR, March 14, 2015, vol 176, p 269). The Welsh Government is currently consulting on its plans to introduce compulsory microchipping of dogs in Wales (VR, March 28, 2015, vol 176, p 323). To help vets prepare their clients for the introduction of the new legislation, the BVA has produced posters for display in practices in England, Wales and Scotland. All three posters (pictured) can be downloaded from the BVA’s website at www.bva.co.uk/ News-campaigns-and-policy/Campaigns/ Microchipping-and-registration-for-all-dogs John Blackwell, the BVA President, said: ‘As a founding member of the Microchipping Alliance, which campaigned for compulsory microchipping together with dog welfare organisations, local authorities and others, BVA is delighted with the progress that has been made and it is very good indeed to be less than a year away from mandatory microchipping across the UK. ‘But this is where the work begins for veterinary surgeons and nurses. We need to work hard to make owners aware of the new law throughout this year, with animals microchipped as far in advance of the deadline as possible.’
Veterinary nurses
The RCVS, BVA and British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) have welcomed a decision by Defra to exempt veterinary nurses from a provision within the English legislation requiring dog breeders and other individuals who wish to implant microchips and who have no previous approved training, to undertake a compulsory training course. While veterinary surgeons were exempted from this training from the time the regulations were initially proposed, Defra originally envisaged that veterinary nurses would
From 6 April 2016 F 16 all your dog must be d rom Spring 2016 0 2 g in r ogs in Sc a From Sp ales must be otland m ll b W microchipped by law e ust m in s ic w rochippe dog d by law ped by la ip h c o r mic Talk to se to your vet or vet nurse urTalk yo r vet n today ab ur vet or vet nu our vet o chippingtoday about microchipping y r out micr to lk a T o ochippin se out micr g today ab co.uk ww w.bva.
Veter British
inary As
n sociatio
nch Welsh Bra
have to undertake it. However, in a joint letter to Defra, the RCVS, the BVA and the BVNA emphasised that registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) already had sufficient training to allow them to implant a microchip safely and that they would be doing so under the direction of a veterinary surgeon. Following negotiations with Defra, it was subsequently agreed that RVNs were already sufficiently qualified to implant microchips and they would be exempt from the training requirement when the new legislation came into force in England. Neil Smith, the RCVS vice-president, who was involved in the negotiations with Defra, commented: ‘As RVNs are regulated by the RCVS, compulsory microchipping training would have been an unnecessary regulatory burden. It would have also been an additional financial burden to practices, which would have had to be passed on to clients. I am very pleased that Defra recognised this and agreed to exempt veterinary nurses from further training so long as they are under the direction of a veterinary surgeon.’ Fiona Andrew, president of the BVNA said that the right decision had been made, and that it ‘recognises the professionalism and expertise of RVNs and the vital role they play in helping to provide critical services such as microchipping to clients as well as the support they give to veterinary surgeons’. ‘Veterinary nurses will play an important part in the drive to ensure dogs across the country are microchipped before the enforcement deadline,’ she continued. ‘We would take this opportunity to remind
Britis British Veterinary Association h Veter inary As
sociatio n
Scottish Branch ww w.bva. co.uk
our RVN colleagues that in order to be deemed competent under the terms of the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct they should be able to provide details of the previous training they have taken part in or should update their skills to comply with the Code.’ A spokesperson for Defra commented: ‘Defra is very keen to avoid imposing any unnecessary burdens; our discussions with the RCVS, BVA and BVNA are a good example of the sort of collaborative working that helps to ensure we get the most workable legislation possible.’
Adverse reactions
The RCVS says that it is also aware that the new regulations in England make it compulsory to report adverse reactions to microchips, including migration of a microchip from the site of implantation, or the failure of a microchip. Acknowledging that there has been ‘some concern’ about this requirement among the profession, Gordon Hockey, the RCVS Registrar, said: ‘Defra have said that they would not enforce this regulation via the courts, or seek to impose fines. The RCVS is likely to amend its supporting guidance later this year to clarify that veterinary surgeons should make appropriate reports, similar to reports for adverse reactions to veterinary medicines. In each case reports can be made online to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.’
Checking chips
A ‘one-stop microchip look-up tool’ was launched at the BSAVA congress earlier this month to help vets and pet owners April 25, 2015 | Veterinary Record | 425
News & Reports check which database a pet’s microchip is registered with. As of April 6, all microchip databases that comply with the conditions set out in the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 have been required to provide each other with the means to identify which database a pet’s microchip is registered with. Anibase, Avid (PETtrac), Pet Identity UK, Petlog, Pet Protect, Protected Pet and SmartChip (Smart Trac) now provide an online tool to meet this requirement. Vets and pet owners can enter a microchip number on any one of the seven database websites and the number will be
426 | Veterinary Record | April 25, 2015
checked with all seven databases. If the number is valid and the microchip can be located, the status of the microchip, plus the name and contact details of the database, is returned. Only the microchip number is checked and no personal data on the owner/ keeper or animal are shared. Retrieval of this information will still require a secure log-in from an authorised user account. If a microchip number is not located on any of the databases, the database operators will try to determine which database it should be located on using the manufacturer prefix number. doi: 10.1136/vr.h2094
Copyright of Veterinary Record: Journal of the British Veterinary Association is the property of BMJ Publishing Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
