One law for all dogs stays

The Government is sticking to its "one law for all dogs" stance and is refusing to exempt farm dogs from a new law requiring microchip implants.

The Cabinet yesterday rejected a last-minute bid from Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton to have farm dogs exempted from the law that comes into force on July 1.

Prime Minister Helen Clark reiterated the words of Associate Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta that there must be "one law for all dogs". "It is very hard to make exceptions for some," she said.

Federated Farmers, who strongly oppose the requirement, labelled the decision "nonsense" and said 60,000 new farm dogs each year would need to be microchipped, costing between $3 million and $7 million annually.

President Charlie Pedersen said the Government had missed an opportunity to build a bridge with the farming community.

"Farmers will take this very personally on behalf of their dogs.

"With dogs that never leave the farm, no one would ever know they weren't registered anyway - unless they are going to bring in some dog police."

Mr Pedersen said the "one law for all dogs" argument was nonsensical. He drew an analogy with farm vehicles, saying motorbikes and other vehicles used only on farms, and not driven on public roads, were not required to be registered or warranted.

"So, what's next? Will our farmbikes have to be registered and warranted? Will there be one rule for all vehicles?"

Farmers opposed to the microchipping requirement have said they will march, with their dogs, on Parliament.

They have likened the cost of microchipping to the infamous "dog tax" which triggered armed confrontation between European authorities and the Hau Hau cult at Hokianga in April 1898. Maori who refused to pay a council dog tax triggered an evacuation of Rawene when they threatened to march on the council offices.

The farming community is becoming familiar with such public displays of opposition to Government policy - in 2003 they marched over the "fart-tax" and last year they marched over public access to their land.

The SPCA, the Veterinary Association and NZ 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.

Mr Pedersen said: "We won't be encouraging our members to break the law, if this does become law, neither would we encourage them to comply with it, because it is such a ridiculous proposal."

He ruled out carrying out the threat voiced by Taranaki Federated Farmers president Bryan Hocken, who said farmers might take their dogs to Parliament to protest.

"Our dogs will piss on the steps to Parliament ... and we won't clean anything up," said Mr Hocken, of Tarata in North Taranaki.

- additional reporting: NZPA