Deputy Steve Luce said that outlawing the controversial training devices would form part of a new animal welfare law that his department was developing.
A group of concerned animal experts, Jersey Force Free Animal Professionals, recently asked the Minister to bring Jersey into line with several other countries in Europe, including Wales, by banning prong and electric shock collars.
Scotland and England are also expected to ban the devices, which allow trainers to administer physical punishment to dogs as part of training exercises, by the end of 2018.
‘I share the concerns of many Islanders about the use of shock or prong collars and I’m committed to seeing them outlawed,’ Deputy Luce said.
‘But rather than submit a single, specific piece of legislation for approval, we’ve looked at the bigger picture of animal welfare legislation and decided to tighten up on a number of different areas.’
Deputy Luce said that drawing up the law had been a large piece of work – dating back to 2016, when the Minister agreed to first look into the issue of punishment collars – but that he expected a draft to be completed in the next few months. The law would then need to go before the Privy Council for ratification, which means that it might be in place before the end of the year.
Other proposed changes to Jersey’s Animal Welfare Law, which was last revised in 2004, include making it illegal to offer or give pets as prizes, banning shops from selling animals to under-16s, tightening regulations in boarding kennels, introducing new regulations surrounding the filming of animal fights, outlawing the docking of dogs’ tails (except for medical reasons), as well as introducing increased powers over general welfare issues.
Rosie Barclay, a member of JFFAP, thanked the Minister for looking into the issue and said that the group was delighted to hear about the ‘progressive decision’ to ban shock collars and invisible fences, which are also used to administer electric shocks.
She said: ‘We would like to congratulate and thank Deputy Steve Luce on his informed decision to work on legislation that will lead to their ban in Jersey. This is a huge leap forward for animal welfare in the Island.’
