SECTOR SURVEY
As greater public attention has fallen on hunting and the use of dogs, BPCA is asking pest professionals to share their experiences with using working dogs.
Anyone that uses dogs for the following is encouraged to complete the survey:
- Mammal control (rats, mice, rabbits, etc)
- Surveying for mammals
- Invertebrate surveying (for example, bed bug detection dogs).
Take survey
Working dogs are a valuable tool as part of an integrated pest management approach. As governments develop new legislation to tackle trail hunting, there is a risk that they may unintentionally ban their use by pest professionals. This survey will support BPCA’s commitment to protecting the toolkit for its members.
Background
The laws that govern hunting and the use of working dogs have been under increased scrutiny in recent years.
Scotland took the first big step with their Hunting with Dogs Scotland Act 2023 being the first to ban trail hunting.
The Labour Party, as part of their 2024 election manifesto, committed to banning trail hunting in England and Wales.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) carried out a consultation earlier this year, to which the BPCA responded.
We supported banning trail hunting, so long as the ability to train working dogs for detection work was protected, as it is in Scotland.
In Northern Ireland, which remains the only part of the UK where hunting with dogs is unrestricted, there is now a Bill progressing through the Northern Irish Assembly that is broadly modelled on Scotland’s law.
BPCA will be engaging with politicians in Northern Ireland to ensure that the Bill delivers on its intentions to ban the ‘sport’, while protecting professional pest management.
This new survey will help us to better understand how working dogs are used in practice and also help us to ensure that they continue to be used into the future.
Get involved
Rosina Robson, Chief Executive of BPCA, said:
“Working dogs are as important a part of the toolkit as any other and play crucial roles in protecting both rural and urban communities.
As the law changes to end trail hunting, it’s vital to ensure pest professionals and their working dogs are part of the conversation to ensure that they and their communities are not unintentionally affected.
Rosina Robson, BPCA Chief Executive
BPCA is encouraging anyone who uses or is thinking of using working dogs in their work to take part.
The Association says that the evidence gathered will help ensure that we can properly scrutinise proposed legal changes and ensure that working dogs and their vital role in professional pest management are protected.
Take survey