Scottish Greens to pledge ban on shock collars

The Scottish Greens will include a ban on shock collars in the party’s manifesto for May’s election.

It has heeded calls made by animal welfare groups to ban the devices, which use electric currents to shock dogs during training.

A previous attempt to ban the collars through amendments to the Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Act last year failed.

Party co-leader Gillian Mackay said: “Electric shock collars are cruel devices that should have no place in Scotland.

“There is no justification for them or for the unnecessary pain they cause.

“As a nation of dog lovers we should be watching out for our four-legged friends and showing them compassion, empathy and kindness, not shocking and hurting them.

“Even the Government’s own experts have called for a ban, but it has still not happened. Guidance alone has not been good enough.

“If we are serious about dog welfare then we need to make it a crime to use them.

“Scotland has a reputation for leading on animal rights in the UK, but in the case of shock collars we are 15 years behind Wales.

“Countries across Europe have already banned these awful devices, it is time for Scotland to do the same.”