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Dog summit hosted by Scottish Government
Image dog barking
Topics discussed at the summit include dog licensing and microchipping.
Government and welfare representatives give views on responsible ownership

A recent summit on responsible dog ownership brought together representatives from Scottish Government, the police and animal welfare and veterinary organisations.

Hosted in Edinburgh last week, the Responsible Dog Ownership Summit was announced last year by first minister Alex Salmond, after he met with the families of dog attack victims.

The meeting covered dog control, licensing, compulsory microchipping and enforcement of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act.

These issues have also been raised in the Government's recent consultation - "Promoting responsible dog ownership in Scotland: microchipping and other measures". The consultation has reportedly received around 2,000 responses so far.

Summit attendees included the Dogs Trust, Scottish SPCA, BVA, Police Scotland, NFU Scotland and members of the Scottish Parliament.

Speaking at the event, representatives from the Kennel Club pledged its commitment to compulsory microchipping in Scotland, in the form of educating the public.

The club also highlighted the importance of a legal requirement to keep information up to date, minimum standards for databases and implanter training.

Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kisko said: "With over 600,000 dogs in Scotland, it is important that all those concerned with them work together to promote responsible ownership.  

"We therefore commend the Scottish Government for holding this event to share ideas on how to tackle current issues relating to dog control and new measures that can be introduced to improve matters."

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.