Madras High Court grants time till July 23 for T.N. govt. to finalise its dog breeding policy
The Hindu
Madras High Court grants Tamil Nadu time till July 23 to finalize ethical dog breeding policy.
The Madras High Court has granted time till July 23 for the Tamil Nadu government to finalise its dog breeding policy aimed at ensuring ethical breeding, conserve native germplasm, prevent introduction of diseases from foreign countries, introduce licensing regime for breeders and monitor them.
Justice Anita Sumanth granted the time after senior counsel R. Srinivas submitted a list of amendments suggested by Kennel Club of India (KCI) to the draft policy and Additional Government Pleader Vadivelu Deenadayalan said the government was open to considering those suggestions.
“Let the parties liaise with one another, prior to the next date of hearing, in order that all items are thoroughly discussed and what needs to be included be decided. A finalised version of the dog breeding policy shall be placed before this court on the next date of hearing,” the judge ordered.
In its suggestions, the KCI said, the draft rules state that applicants for breeder licence from Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB) must submit a licence issued by the local body concerned and also a no objection certificate for the premises but do not prescribe the qualifications of the licensing authority.
“This is not a job that can be entrusted to persons who are not qualified to evaluate breeding stock or facilities required to do so,” the council said and objected to random neutering of male dogs and spaying of bitches if their offsprings were found to be suffering from genetic defects.
“It is important to ascertain by appropriate tests whether a particular trait is genetic in nature before arriving at any conslusions. Random neutering and sterilizations without a scientific basis will not only be detrimental to the health of the animal but also amount to cruelty,” KCI said.
Further, referring to the draft policy stating that karyotyping should be done before engaging a dog for breeding and that the animal should be sterilized if it shows any chromosomal abnormality or defect, the council said, it was not clear whether the TNAWB would provide facilities for such testing.