Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: workplans

September 2024 - current workplan

Ongoing projects

Animal sentience

A Sentience Sub-Committee was set up at the end of 2021, in order to assist the other members of SAWC in filtering and prioritising issues relating to animal sentience. Ongoing work includes the development of an ethics and justice framework, drawing on recent Aquaculture Working Group work, and assembling evidence in relation to fish sentience. 

Responsible cat care

A working group was set up at the beginning of 2023 to consider the welfare issues relating to domestic cat ownership, including of microchipping, neutering, vaccination, feral cat controls and the impacts on wildcat populations.

Timescale

A report is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Wildlife welfare

Scottish Government has a Programme for Government commitment to publish ‘a strategic approach to wildlife management that puts animal welfare at the centre while protecting public health and economic and conservation considerations.” SAWC is engaging with NatureScot on their wildlife welfare principles which forms part of this commitment. From May 2023, the working group began considering the issue of translocations and reintroductions of wild animal species.

Timescale

A paper is expected to be completed by early in 2025.

Aquaculture

A report on acoustic deterrent devices in salmon farming was published on 6 March 2023.  The working group is now focusing on the welfare issues surrounding cleaner fish.

Timescale

A report on the welfare issues surrounding cleaner fish is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Dog training

Review and provide an initial report on the welfare issues associated with the use of electronic collars on dogs and consider whether there should be licensing of these service providers. Evidence gathering included engagement with a range of stakeholders and a review of the available literature on the issue. The report was published on 11 April 2023. The working group has since been discussing other aversive training devices.

Timescale

A report on other aversive training devices is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Local authorities handling animal welfare issues

Consider reviewing how different authorities deal with animal welfare issues, whether there are experts who can assess welfare and whether any future recommendations could feasibly be met by the local authorities. 

Timescale

A report is expected to be completed by the first half of 2025.

Abattoir provision and opportunities for mobile slaughterhouses

From a Scottish perspective to review the welfare issues around numbers of abattoirs and their geographical distribution, slaughter journey times and the welfare of animals killed in mobile slaughterhouses.

Timescale

A report is expected to be completed by the first half of 2025.

Performing animals and animal encounters (potentially including therapy animals)

SAWC has agreed to form a working group to provide an opinion on welfare of animals used under these different types of management, including the lives of these animals when not on exhibit/in use. 

Review of Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006

2026 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act.  This is an opportunity for SAWC members to review it.

Equine welfare

Members agreed to set up a working group in 2025 to consider and prioritise issues around equine welfare for leisure horses in Scotland.

Other annual commitments

• annual report – 2023-2024
• annual review of Scottish Government activity affecting the welfare of animals, as sentient beings