Fed: Ministers fail to reach agreement on dogs' tail docking

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Fed: Ministers fail to reach agreement on dogs' tail docking

BRISBANE, April 10 AAP - A meeting of Australian agriculture ministers today failedto reach agreement on the routine cosmetic docking of dogs' tails.

NSW and the Northern Territory requested more time for consultation after today's meetingin Brisbane, Queensland Primary Industries Minister Henry Palaszczuk said.

But Mr Palaszczuk said he was still confident a national ban would go ahead and anagreement could be reached by the middle of the year.

He said Queensland would push ahead with the ban under the Animal Care and ProtectionAct 2001, with state laws banning tail docking expected to be passed by December 2003.

"We need a better deal for Australian dogs," Mr Palaszczuk said.

"We need national agreement to ensure the ban is effective and not open to cross-bordertrade in docked dogs."

Tail docking is the practice of cutting short a puppy's tail, usually within a week of its birth.

Several breeds, including boxers, rottweilers and dobermans, have traditionally hadtheir tails docked in line with requirements for official dog breed showing.

The procedure is usually performed with a knife or scissors without anaesthetic orusing a tight rubber band which cuts off the blood supply to the animal's tail.

The ACT and Western Australia have recently introduced bans on routine tail dockingof dogs for cosmetic reasons.

AAP rad/sc/ph/de

KEYWORD: DOGS