Nats savage draft dog welfare code 

The National Party is savaging a draft animal welfare code for dogs, because it says among other things, that dogs' food and water dishes must be washed and dried every day and housing and bedding washed at least once a week.

The government says the code is still only a wish-list from interest groups that hasn't got as far as official circles.

National's local government and agriculture spokesmen have been quick to condemn the draft code, which they describe as government red tape gone mad.

Agriculture spokesman David Carter says the idea that a farmer is going to carry a bottle of detergent and a roll of paper towels with him to clean the dogs' dishes each day is comical.

But he says it is no laughing matter that a farmer could be jailed for six months, fined $25,000 or be banned from having animals for failing to clean dogs' dishes daily, or for having a draughty kennel.

However associate agriculture minister Damien O'Connor says the code at this stage has nothing to do with the government and is still at a pre-draft stage, being developed by the Companion Animal Council.

He says it still has to go to the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, which will put it through two lots of consultation, public and expert, before sending the final version to the government for approval.

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