DEFRA: Why Are You So Ashamed of The Dangerous Dogs Act?




May 29, 2009 by Ryan O'Meara



Yet
again, DEFRA have weasled out of an opportunity for them to come
forward and explain to the British public why we still have the most
ineffective dog law, in the form of 1991’s Dangerous Dogs Act.
A debate on BBC Radio WM today was set up a full week ago. I was
asked if I could recommend someone to take part in the discussion and
defend the Dangerous Dogs Act. I suggested that the group who should
contribute is DEFRA - I also added that I didn’t think they would
take part. Unsurprisingly, a week passed and DEFRA refused to even
offer up a statement let alone actually answer questions to the British
electorate about a law which has spectacularly failed to achieve a
single goal since its inception nearly 20 years ago. Why are DEFRA so
ashamed of The Dangerous Dogs Act?I must
first pay a huge debt of gratitude to radio host Ed Doolan who
conducted a great session of debate on why the problem of dangerous
dogs in the UK has not been properly addressed - no sensationalism,
just calm, rational debate and opinion.
He also made the point that DEFRA, who work for and are paid for by
US let us not forget, point blank refused to come forward and put
forward their opinion.
This is a disgrace.
For how long do we have to endure a dog law which has been a public safety shambles and an animal welfare disaster?
How long do we have to keep PAYING millions of pounds to implement a law which was always doomed to failure?
Why should we tolerate the sheer arrogance of a government department that won’t defend this legislation? Why?
It came as no surprise to me that DEFRA wouldn’t step up. This
isn’t the first time they’ve done the same thing. There is,
however, good reason why they refuse to be drawn on the Dangerous Dogs
Act, it’s because even they don’t really believe in it. If
they did, how hard would it be to step forward and explain to the
British public how successful it’s been? How many lives it has
saved. How much safer we all from dog attack. How hard would it be to
celebrate the successes, even the small ones? How hard? Well, VERY hard
as it goes. Because there are none.
What lays behind them is a trail of blood and money.
Dogs, needlessly killed. Money, OUR MONEY, spent killing dogs,
persecuting owners and spectacularly failing to drive down the numbers
of dog attacks.
DEFRA, you are a gutless bunch of cowards. You have blood on your hands. And you KNOW it.
End BSL now.
Listen to BBC Radio WM’s dangerous dogs debate (one hour 20 minutes in)
http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/2501/defra-why-are-you-so-ashamed-of-the-dangerous-dogs-act/

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