Barking and Dagenham will be the first Council in the UK to use DNA testing to catch irresponsible pet owners who fail to clean up after their pooches’ poo as part of the authority’s drive to promote social responsibility.
The east London Council will introduce DNA testing on dog mess to identify rogue owners who could face fines of up to £80. The Council’s annual cleansing budget is £2.3million which includes clearing up dog faeces. The Council employs a dedicated dog warden to deal with this and other issues.
The innovative approach was unveiled at a Dog Fouling Forum, called, ‘Leading a New Way’, on Tuesday, 28 April at Barking Learning Centre. The Leader of the Council, Councillor Darren Rodwell, opened the forum before guest speakers representing the Kennel Club, Keep Britain Tidy and Streetkleen (licence holders for PooPrints DNA testing), gave speeches on the subject.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, said: “We are the first Council in the country to get really tough on dog mess and pet owners who do not act in a socially responsible way. The vast majority of dog owners in Barking and Dagenham are socially responsible but unfortunately a selfish few think it’s ok to not clean up after their pet.
“Dog mess not only spoils our streets – it’s also a health hazard and especially to young children. It’s why we are using this innovative approach in making a cleaner, healthier and better Barking and Dagenham.”
Proposals to be discussed are how we could encourage owners have their dog’s DNA registered with PooPrints UK, and how this could work with the forthcoming requirement from April 2016 for all dogs to be microchipped. Collecting DNA is a painless cheek swab would be taken from the dog, which is sent to a laboratory. The dog’s profile is then added to a DNA registry.
If an owner fails to pick up after their pooch, a quick test will be taken from the offending faeces which can be traced back to a registered dog with 99.9 per cent accuracy.
Streetkleen Managing Director, Gary Downie, said: “I believe the combination of DNA testing and enforcement could be the most effective means of ensuring owners are held accountable for their dog’s actions. In the US, we have experienced reductions in dog fouling by as much as 90 per cent after introducing the programme.
“For the vast majority of responsible dog owners this should pose no problem at all. In fact, we believe that the minimal cost involved in the DNA testing will pose value for money when the selfish minority of dog owners are brought to task and public spaces in Barking and Dagenham become cleaner, greener and more pleasant environments for everyone.”
The forum will explore current legislation and how to overcome obstacles. It will also look at introducing a pilot and if the pilot is successful, then it will be rolled out across the borough from September 2016. Residents have been invited to join the discussion on Twitter by tagging their opinions about dog fouling by using the hashtag #leadinganewway
