Government faces defeat over dog chips

The Wanganui owner of Olly, Zac and Max is refusing to have them microchipped. Picture / Wanganui Chronicle

The Government is staring at an embarrassing defeat over its refusal to exempt farm dogs from mandatory microchipping from July 1.

Green Party and Maori Party MPs gave strong indications yesterday that they are likely to support a proposed exemption when they meet to discuss it today.

A vote is due in Parliament next month on an omnibus local government bill that includes other amendments to the Dog Control Act.

National MP David Carter and United Future MP Gordon Copeland have both foreshadowed amendments.

Support from National, Act, United Future, the Greens and the Maori Party would take the total of votes to 63, enough to pass the amendments.

When Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton requested an exemption for farm dogs, the Government rejected the bid and responded with the slogan "one law for all dogs".

But the prospect of a defeat in the House and another month of campaigning by Federated Farmers may force the Government to rethink.

Protests attracting strong farmer support have been held in Hawkes Bay and more rallies are planned in South Island centres.

Green MP Sue Kedgley said yesterday that the party had not seen any evidence that microchipping would solve the problem of dog attacks.

"It seems to be quite ineffective. It's just a sort of knee-jerk thing."

She was concerned about microchipping generally, not just of farm dogs.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said she could not see the purpose of the law for farm dogs "and to be honest, I can't really see the purpose of it for other dogs, because responsible dog owners do register their dogs".

"What will dog-chipping do?"

She said the Maori Party caucus had held a preliminary discussion and although MPs appreciated the issues being raised about attacks on people, "we don't think that the chipping of dogs will make the difference".

Mrs Turia and her husband, George, are former farmers who now lease out their agricultural property. She believed farmers were mostly responsible and registered their dogs.

There were also concerns about who would be next.

"With the retributive nature of law and order issues, it might not be too far a step away from moving to microchip our kids. It would not be out of people's thinking," she said.

"My worry is 'micro-chip naughty dogs - microchip naughty kids'."

The SPCA, the Veterinary Association and New Zealand Kennel Club all support microchipping, one of a raft of measures introduced after a series of dog attacks on people, including the mauling of 7-year-old Carolina Anderson in an Auckland park in 2003.

The microchipping will be mandatory only for newly registered dogs, not all dogs.

SPCA Auckland chief executive officer Bob Kerridge said that exempting farmers would make a mockery of the whole principle of microchipping.

"Microchipping is designed to ultimately keep track of all dogs in the country, which is both in the interests of the dogs and their owners," he said in Animal's Voice.

"To suggest, as some people have assumed, that the microchip will prevent dog attacks is naive."