P-05-779 Compulsory scanning of domestic pets for microchips by councils – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee, 19.11.18

We are extremely happy at the final results of our petition, to make it mandatory Welsh councils scan cats for microchips and return to the owners. Although no mandatory action was put in place, the Petitions Committee did follow through with the remaining councils and, as a result, all local authorities in Wales will scan cats collected from the roadside, and notify the owners where possible. Residents in Anglesey, Gwynedd, Cardiff, Blaenau Gwent and Newport are all extremely pleased that their local authorities adopted a scanning approach as a result of this petition. The last remaining council, Carmarthenshire, have now confirmed they aim to have the procedure in place within the next month. This is wonderful news for residents, especially as this region has seen a lot of heartache regarding this issue, and many have previously fought for change. We are ecstatic that, as of the Carmarthenshire roll out, Wales will be the first all-scanning nation in the world and this is certainly a record for others to aspire to. We thank Welsh Assembly members for their persistence on this issue for residents simply so as pet owners in the country have closure should the worst happen.