March 2016 is National Chipping Month
It is now the law for dogs in Ireland to be microchipped and registered on a government-approved database. This year’s National Chipping Month promises to be very busy! It is early this year to be ready for the completion of the new Regulations, which will apply to all dogs in Ireland from the end of March 2016.
How it started (From 2013…)
Minister says mandatory Microchipping is in Pipeline – Dog Owners Encouraged to Chip It Check It
The benefits of having your pet microchipped have been well established and currently nearly one in every three dogs in Ireland has had a chip implanted under their skin.
The small transponder contains a world unique number and not, as many owners think, their contact details. In order for the microchip to be effective, these contact details along with the details of the microchip must be stored on a reputable database. Unfortunately, over one hundred thousand companion animals that have a microchip in them do not have a correct registration of the owner’s details on a database that will allow the animal be returned to them in the event of it getting lost.
The entire month of September 2013 will mark the first National Microchipping Month in Ireland, which aims:
1. To increase the awareness of the benefit of microchipping pets and in so doing to increase the number of animals having a chip implanted; and
2. To inform the public of the requirement to ensure that the details they have stored on the database for their pet’s chip are current and correct.
Speaking at the launch of National Microchipping Month, Simon Coveney T.D., Minister of Agriculture, Food & The Marine, said: “I am very supportive of National Microchipping Month. Microchipping helps speed up the rehoming of lost or stray dogs. This will reduce the cost of caring for dogs while owners are being located. It will reduce stress on people who have lost their animals.
The Minister said that while many dog owners have had their animals chipped voluntarily, experience elsewhere shows that this reaches a plateau unless it made compulsory.
“This is why earlier this year during the debates on the Animal Health & Welfare Bill I said that I intended to introduce mandatory chipping. Following the enactment of the Animal Health & Welfare Act, my Department conducted a public consultation on the issue of dog microchipping. We received a wide range of submissions and legislation on compulsory dog microchipping is now being prepared.
“I will be bringing forward the details of this scheme presently but I can say that, where an animal has been chipped and registered correctly with a database like fido.ie prior to the adoption of the legislation, both the animal and its owner will be in compliance with the law. Therefore, I would encourage as many dog owners as possible to get their dogs chipped and registered sooner rather than later. While microchipping is not mandatory yet, this is not a reason to delay because microchipping will undoubtedly speed up the process of re-uniting lost dogs with their owners.”
National ‘chipping month (www.ncm.ie) is a collaboration between www.fido.ie, (the most referred to microchip database in Ireland), Dogs Trust (the largest canine charity in Ireland), Veterinary Ireland (the representative body for the veterinary profession in Ireland), Royal Canin pet food manufacturers, C&M Vetlink Veterinary Wholesalers, the Maxi Zoo pet retail group and the Done Deal Foundation.
National Microchipping Month is promoting the subsidized and free microchipping of thousands of animals around the country in association with Fido, Dogs Trust and all the associated partners during the month of September.
In addition to this, NCM.ie is running a campaign throughout the entire month of September at hundreds of locations nationwide to encourage owners to have the details that they have registered on the databases for their animal’s chips checked to ensure that they are correct and up to date.
Hundreds of veterinary practices, animal welfare organisations, re-homing centres, local authority pounds, pet retail outlets, and charities are taking part in the initiative.
The slogan of the campaign is “Chip it, Check it” to encourage people not only to have their animal microchipped, but also to check with the database to make sure that their contact details are correct and up to date.
Find out more about National Microchipping Month online at www.ncm.ie ; and find us on Facebook at National Chipping Month.
ENDS
Date: 5th September, 2013
Media enquiries to:
Antonina Ni Dhuinn, Progress Communications
Tel: 01-2766117 / 087-2653683 E-mail nina@progresspr.ie
The Parties behind National Micro-Chipping Month
Veterinary Ireland
Tel: 01 457 7976 Email: HQ@vetireland.ie
Veterinary Ireland is the representative body for veterinary practitioners in all aspects of Irish veterinary practice.
Members of the Veterinary Ireland Companion Animal Society (VICAS) are primarily veterinary practitioners focused on companion animals – pets – and on promoting pet health pet welfare, and responsible pet ownership. As well as this VICAS is involved in a number of ongoing Pet Health and Welfare initiatives, including World Animal Week, Spay Aware 2013 and the recently launched on-line initiative, LoveMyPet.ie.
Veterinary Ireland is happy to provide appropriately qualified and informed persons to answer questions and to contribute to any debate, in a constructive and reasoned manner.
C&M Vetlink Veterinary Wholesalers
Tel: 1850 494494 www.cmvet.ie
C&M Vetlink a Henry Schein company is the leading Veterinary wholesaler/ Distributor of Veterinary products to the Veterinary profession in Ireland.
Royal Canin
Tel 0044 800 717800
At Royal Canin, everything we do is for the dog and the cat. Our diets provide precise nutritional solutions to your pet’s needs based on our extensive knowledge of cats and dogs, gained through years of study. For more information please visit www.royalcanin.ie
Dogs Trust
Ashbourne Road, Finglas, Dublin 11 www.dogstrust.ie 01 8791000
Dogs Trust is Ireland’s largest dog welfare charity. Our aim is to rehome 1,000 stray and abandoned puppies/dogs each year. Through our free education campaign we teach young children about responsible dog ownership. Our nationwide neutering campaign has helped neuter over 80,000 dogs and our legislation work is helping improve welfare standards for dogs. Dogs Trust never destroys a healthy dog and penned the line ‘A Dog is for life, not just for Christmas’.
Maxi Zoo
Maxi Zoo Ireland, First Floor Unit 7, WestPoint Business Park, Ballincollig, Co.Cork
T: +353 21 4208702 www.maxizoo.ie
Maxi Zoo is Irelands expert pet retailer. We are a speciality pet shop located throughout Ireland, with a wide range of animal food and accessories. We offer exclusive brands, extensive consultations, a large product range of around 7,000 products, and a discount oriented price policy. www.maxizoo.ie
Done Deal Foundation
http://help.donedeal.ie/the-giving-back-section
The DoneDeal Foundation is an impact-led fund, primarily from the contributions of the for-profit business DoneDeal. The Foundation’s PetAware Project is committed to investing in programmes that assist the adoption of shelter and pound animals and increase awareness of responsible pet ownership through education and promoting best practice. We are delighted to co-sponsor the National Chipping Month initiative to promote microchipping of companion animals and to ensuring that the data stored on the appropriate database is correct and valid.
Fido
www.fido.ie
Fido is Ireland’s largest and most-utilised database for the storage of companion animal details. It runs a 24 hour reunification service ensuring that pounds, vets and welfare societies have access to the details of the owners of lost animals at all times. Fido works at both National and European level to advance the concept, accuracy and efficiency of permanent identification of animals.
