Unnecessary suffering

In deciding to ban the tail-docking of all dogs in Scotland, the minister, Ross Finnie, listened not only to animal welfare organisations, but also to the three leading veterinary organisations, all of which oppose tail-docking. Docking causes pain and longer-term welfare problems for dogs.

It is to be hoped that there will now be a new debate about all the body parts that are routinely dispensed with in the name of animal management - beaks, combs, tails, testicles, horns, toes, and more. None of this is political: it is simply a question of reducing unnecessary pain and improving the quality of animals' lives.

LIBBY ANDERSON, Political director, Advocates for Animals, Queensferry Street, Edinburgh