Professor Andreas Haga at the Norwegian University of Environmental and Biosciences (NMBU) believes that animals have been bred for a number of years primarily based on how the animal looks. It is not necessarily completely unproblematic. – When you breed animals to look like something other than what they do from nature’s side, a number of problems can arise due to breeding. The most famous example we hear about is dogs with short muzzles. Today, there are still dog breeds with known problems that are legal to breed, according to the researcher. – Animal protection has, among other things, gone to court and has picked two breeds where there are obvious problems that arise due to breeding for appearance. But that is also the case with many other breeds too, Haga believes. Today, there are rules which say, among other things, that you must not breed animals with physical abnormalities that mean they cannot live a good life. Animal Welfare Act § 25. Breeding Animal keepers, breeders, breeding organizations and breed clubs must, through breeding, promote characteristics that give robust animals with good function and health. Breeding must not be carried out, including through the use of genetic engineering methods, which: a. change genetic makeup so that they negatively affect the animal’s physical or mental functions, or which perpetuate such genetic makeup, b. reduce the animal’s ability to exercise natural behavior, or c. arouses general ethical reactions. Animals with hereditary systems as mentioned in the second paragraph shall not be used in further breeding. The King can issue regulations on breeding in accordance with the principles in this paragraph, also on breeding activities in breeding organizations and breed clubs. – Is there any basis for saying whether these provisions are followed? – My personal opinion is that it is quite obvious that it is not being followed. Haga believes that today for many breeds there is a high chance that the animals will grow up with problems related to breeding. He himself has years of experience treating animals under anesthesia. – When we have dogs with short muzzles that come in for anaesthesia, I see how difficult it is to get them to breathe normally if we give them a sedative, or they have to wake up from Professor Andreas Haga at Photo: Gisle Bjørneby / NMBU anaesthesia. These are things we have deliberately bred. It is not a sick animal that happens to be sick, but it is the result of deliberate breeding in that direction. Requires more action from the authorities – It is obvious that in parts of dog breeding matings take place where the offspring will most certainly not have a good life. Haga believes that the regulations today are not good enough to solve the problems it was created for. – The Norwegian Food Safety Authority administers the rules. Why the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has not taken up this problem to a greater extent themselves, you almost have to ask them. VG recently wrote that the Netherlands will now ban dogs and cats with health problems. The country’s Minister of Agriculture and Nature, Piet Adema, told the newspaper that “No livestock in the Netherlands should have to suffer for their appearance”. Haga believes that something should also be done in Norway. But whether following in the Netherlands’ footsteps is the answer, he is not sure. – In any case, it should be followed up. Whether banning individual breeds is the most effective way, I should be careful to say anything about. If you ban breeds, should it be forbidden to own it? Can you buy it abroad? In the end, it is still the consumers who have the most power, i.e. you and I who want the puppy of their dreams: – Those who acquire a female must think twice and choose a breed that has an appearance that promotes disease to the least extent possible, says Haga . Need regulation to have control Bjørnar Stavenes, acting section manager in the animal welfare section, says that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, has been working on creating a regulation on dog breeding since 2019. – The proposal will soon be ready and will then be sent to the ministry. they decide whether the proposal should be sent for consultation. Bjørnar Stavenes, acting section manager in the animal welfare section. Photo: Private – The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has carried out some supervision of breeders of various dog breeds, but there is no systematic, public control of Norwegian dog breeding. Part of the reason for this is that we lack a regulation with detailed rules on dog breeding. Stavenes believes that the breeding provision in the Animal Welfare Act is unclear and not concrete and that it is therefore difficult for the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s inspectors. – The Norwegian Food Safety Authority therefore needs a regulation on dog breeding in order to carry out proper public control of dog breeding in Norway. Thinks appearance wins in breeding Professor Andreas Haga believes that the problems associated with animals that suffer health problems due to breeding go back to the fact that a standard has been set for how a breed should look. – With dogs, you often talk about a breed standard. That is, how you want this breed to look. Haga believes, among other things, that it is the breed standard that should be looked at differently. When problems arise for dogs with short muzzles, then something should be done about the breed standard. In addition to the way in which breeding animals are selected, which often happens through dog shows. – Characteristics, whether the dog is active or more calm and health should be the primary goals for breeding, while appearance came further down the list. That’s not how it works today. – Which criteria are at the top of the list then? – As I understand it, there are exhibition results and how they are judged by an exterior judge. Need a regulation that can be enforced The Norwegian Kennel Club (NKK) thinks it is good that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is working on a separate regulation for breeding. – We are initially positive about a regulation that will apply to all dogs in Norway, says communications advisor Anne Buvik. – Only 60 percent of the dogs in Norway are bred under the auspices of breeders and registered with NKK. Photo: PRESSEFOTO / NKK Buvik believes it is important that the regulation should be possible to enforce. Although they welcome the regulation, there are certain things they believe are difficult to enforce. – For example, the requirement that you should not engage in inbreeding. The regulation is intended to apply to all dogs, including mixed dogs and those not registered in the NKK. Buvik says that it is already forbidden in NKK to mate dogs that are closely related. She believes it is difficult to fulfill the point about inbreeding, all the time you have dogs that are not registered and you do not know the origin. Like Haga, Buvik also does not believe that breed bans have anything to do with it. – It is difficult to enforce. You also ban the good dogs in a breed. We have a breed ban in Norway on some so-called dangerous breeds. That ban has also proven to be very difficult to enforce in practice. In the first instance, the NKK wants ID marking to be mandatory and specific health requirements to be set. – As we have done, for example, with short-haired breeds, where they must be tested for breathing difficulties. Thinks cavalier ruling works against its purpose It is against the law to breed with the Cavalier King Charles spaniel dog breed. The Borgarting Court of Appeal ruled that last year. NKK has now appealed the case to the Supreme Court. – What does the verdict mean? – This means that we cannot facilitate breeding. In practice, this means that we cannot register puppies, because it would be considered to facilitate breeding. Then you also risk having less control over the sick individuals in that breed. And when it comes to the extent to which the racial standards favor individuals with characteristics that cause health problems, she also does not agree with Professor Haga. – That is a very generalisation. Did the dog come first, or the breed standard? The dogs came first. The breed standard is often created when there is a group of dogs that are already quite similar both in appearance and their area of use, she says and adds: – All dogs that have anatomical features that go beyond their health and well-being. all such dogs must be disqualified and not highly prized at the show.
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– It is obvious that the laws for animal breeding are not followed today – news Nordland
