London Council To Introduce DNA Testing On Dog Poo!
The London Borough of Barking & Dagenham is to introduce DNA testing on dog poo to identify owners who fail to pick up their dog's waste.
Dog owners in East London who fail to clear up after their dogs will soon be identified by DNA tests. Barking & Dagenham Council will become the first Local Authority in the UK to introduce the scientific testing to identify the owner of a dog from it's poo.
Dog owners will face fines of up to £80 if they are caught by the new tests. The Council is justifying the new policy by pointing out that it currently spends £2.3 million per annum clearing up dog mess. Council Leader Darren Rodwell commented "“The vast majority of dog owners in Barking and Dagenham are socially responsible but unfortunately a selfish few think it’s okay to not clean up after their pet. Dog mess not only spoils our streets but it is also a health hazard especially to young children. It's why we are getting tough on dog muck to make a cleaner, healthier and better borough."
The success of the new scheme will be dependent on encouraging dog owners to get their dogs DNA tested and whether this could form part of the requirement for all dogs to be microchipped by April 2016. DNA can be collected by taking a cheek swab which is sent to a laboratory. The dog's profile is then added to a central register. If the owner fails to pick up after their dog a test will be taken from the offending faeces which can then be traced back to a registered dog with 99.9 per cent accuracy. Similar schemes operating in America have reduced dog fouling by as much as 90 per cent.
It is estimated that UK dogs produce around 1,000 tonnes of waste every day, with much of it thought to be deposited in public areas.
So what do you think? Is this a good idea or is it barking mad? Let us know your thoughts.
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