Covering Letter
Rural Directorate
Animal Health and Welfare Division
T: 0131-244 6117 F: 0131-244 6616
E: animal.health@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
To: Interested Parties
( List attached)
20 February 2009
Dear Sir/Madam
CONSULTATION ON THE COMMISSION PROPOSAL TO REPLACE DIRECTIVE 93/119 WITH A REGULATION ON THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS AT THE TIME OF KILLING.
I am writing to invite comments on the enclosed consultation document about the European Commission's proposal to replace Council Directive 93/119 with a European Regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing.
The proposed Regulation will have direct effect in all Member States and all parts of the UK. Implementing rules, codes of practice and guidance notes will be prepared later in accordance with the comitology procedures set out in the proposed Regulation. The Regulation will be complemented by domestic Regulations to define offences, penalties, derogations and other additional provisions necessary to implement the Regulation. Separate implementing legislation will be required in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We will consult separately where appropriate on these implementing measures.
The consultation package includes:
These documents can be found on the Scottish Government's website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations.
Comments are welcome on any part of the consultation document. In particular, I would like to hear your views on the key questions set out in the document. As we need to identify the potential costs, especially those costs which might fall on small businesses, I would also welcome comments on the draft partial Regulatory Impact Assessment.
This consultation covers Scotland. Separate but similar consultations are taking place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A list of the organisations which have been consulted is attached to this letter.
If you are aware of other organisations, businesses or individuals who you think should be consulted, please feel free to copy this consultation to them, or inform us of the omission.
Comments on the paper should be sent to the following address by 22 May 2009.
Allan McFarlane
Animal Welfare Policy Team
Room 350
Pentland House
47 Robb's Loan
EDINBURGH
EH14 1TYBy email to: animal.health@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
By fax to: 0131 244 6616
I would be grateful if you would clearly indicate in your response which questions or parts of the consultation document you are responding to, as this will aid the analysis of the responses.
We need to know how you wish your response to be handled and, in particular, whether you are happy for your response to be made public. Please complete and return the Respondee Information Form (only required if you are providing a response) as this will ensure that we treat your response appropriately. If you ask for your response not to be published, we will regard it as confidential and we will treat it accordingly. All respondents should be aware that the Scottish Government is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, therefore, we have to consider any request made under that Act for information relating to this consultation exercise.
If you have any queries about this consultation please email or fax us as above, or call 0131 244 6117.
If you would like further copies of this consultation, or the document in an alterative format, such as large print, Braille, audiotape or disc, or in a community language please use the contact details above. I expect that most respondents will find it easier to send in a written response, but if you would find it easier to respond in some other way (such as by telephone, audiotape or at a meeting) please contact us to make the necessary arrangements.
This consultation and all other Scottish Government consultation exercises can be viewed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations. You can telephone Freephone 0800 77 1234 to find out the location of your nearest Public Internet Access Point.
The Scottish Government has an e-mail alert system for consultations (SEconsult). This system allows stakeholder individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly e-mail containing details of all new consultations (including web links). SEconsult complements, but in no way replaces our distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to keep up-to-date with all of our consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. I would encourage you to register.
Consultation is an essential and important aspect of Scottish Government working methods. Given the wide-ranging areas of work of the Scottish Government, there are many varied types of consultation. In general, however, consultation exercises aim to provide opportunities for all those who wish to express their opinions on a proposed area of work, to do so in ways which will inform and enhance that work. While details of particular circumstances described in a response to a consultation exercise may usefully inform the policy process, consultation exercises cannot address individual concerns and comments, which should be directed to the relevant public body.
The views and suggestions detailed in consultation responses are analysed and used as part of the decision making process. Depending on the nature of the consultation exercise, the responses received may:
- Indicate the need for policy development or review;
- Inform the development of a particular policy;
- Help decisions to be made between alternative policy proposals; and
- Be used to finalise legislation before it is implemented.
Where respondees have given permission for their response to be made public (via the Respondee Information Form) these will be made available to the public in the Scottish Government Library. All responses, where agreement to publish has been given, will be checked for any potentially defamatory material before being logged in the library or placed on the website. The library is located at Saughton House, K Spur, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD and you can make arrangements to view the responses by contacting the SE library on 0131 244 4565. Responses can be copied and sent to you but a charge may be made for this service.
If you have any comments about how this consultation exercise has been conducted, please send them to the response address above.
Yours faithfully
Ian W Strachan
Head of Animal Welfare Team