17 Oct 2023
An emergency session will take place tomorrow after the Government vowed to define and ban the breed in response to a series of attacks.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Senior veterinary and welfare sector figures are due to give evidence in an emergency parliamentary session tomorrow (17 October) on plans to ban the American XL bully.
The Government pledged to define and outlaw the breed last month in response to a series of serious, sometimes fatal, attacks linked to it.
But the Dog Control Coalition, which counts the BVA and several leading charities among its members, has voiced reservations about the plan, while almost 590,000 people have now signed an online petition against it.
The hearing has been called as part of the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee’s wider inquiry into issues of pet welfare and abuse, and is set to be chaired by Conservative MP and vet Neil Hudson.
He said: “We’ve all grimly seen coverage a number of American XL bully dog attacks on people in recent months causing severe injuries and tragically leading to the loss of life.
“It is clear to me that action must be taken in the interest of public and other animal safety, and I look forward to making progress on the issue imminently.
“As a veterinary surgeon, this issue is extremely close to my heart and I thought it incredibly important that I trigger an urgent session to provide expert analysis needed to enact complex legislative change.
“I would highly encourage those interested to watch and hear from the range of leading voices in the fields of law, animal welfare and veterinary medicine.”
Although the panel of witnesses has not been confirmed, IVC Evidensia’s group animal welfare advisor, David Martin, plus officials from the RSPCA and Dogs Trust, are among those expected to give evidence.
The session is also due to hear testimony from the former home secretary Kenneth Baker, who was in office when the current Dangerous Dogs Act was introduced in 1991.
