Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor I McAlpine and seconded by Councillor L Bones that:
Motion title: Pets as prizes
North Tyneside is privileged to hold a great many funfairs and similar events. In decades past it was considered the norm to win a goldfish or other small animal when in attendance. Contemporary views on animal welfare recognise the problems with unexpectedly handing out small animals to residents, who may be unprepared for the commitment that caring for them entails. Currently, North Tyneside strongly discourages this practice but has no formal provision in place to ban it outright on Council land.
Issuing pets as prizes is now widely acknowledged to be cruel and anachronistic. Above all else, the methods of their interim holding and transportation cause significant trauma to the animals and in some circumstances their death.
The RSPCA campaign actively on this issue with clear guidance, and this motion asks North Tyneside to join more than 50 other Local Authorities in prohibiting this practice at a local level. It is right for every resident to look after small animals if they wish to do so, but with the proper handover and aftercare available from proper pet distributors.
This council asks the Mayor to:
1. Immediately prohibit the practice of giving out pets as prizes.
2. Introduce appropriate measures to communicate, and enforce this, prior to the summer 2024 season.
An amendment was moved by Councillor I McAlpine and seconded by Councillor L Bones to add the following words to the end of bullet point 1 ‘on council land.’
The amendment was accepted by the meeting without a vote.
The amended motion therefore read:
Motion title: Pets as prizes
North Tyneside is privileged to hold a great many funfairs and similar events. In decades past it was considered the norm to win a goldfish or other small animal when in attendance. Contemporary views on animal welfare recognise the problems with unexpectedly handing out small animals to residents, who may be unprepared for the commitment that caring for them entails. Currently, North Tyneside strongly discourages this practice but has no formal provision in place to ban it outright on Council land.
Issuing pets as prizes is now widely acknowledged to be cruel and anachronistic. Above all else, the methods of their interim holding and transportation cause significant trauma to the animals and in some circumstances their death.
The RSPCA campaign actively on this issue with clear guidance, and this motion asks North Tyneside to join more than 50 other Local Authorities in prohibiting this practice at a local level. It is right for every resident to look after small animals if they wish to do so, but with the proper handover and aftercare available from proper pet distributors.
This council asks the Mayor to:
1. Immediately prohibit the practice of giving out pets as prizes on council land.
2. Introduce appropriate measures to communicate, and enforce this, prior to the summer 2024 season.
The amended motion, on being put to the meeting, was approved unanimously.