Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

New rules prompt concern over animal welfare in Highlands

Post Thumbnail

Forestry workers have raised animal welfare concerns in the wake of a shake-up of allowances they get for keeping dogs.

As of this month, it is mandatory for more than 50 wildlife rangers across Scotland to keep dogs but pay upfront for their upkeep, including the provision of kennels and potentially costly vets’ bills.

“The downside,” according to a Highland ranger who did not wish to be identified, is that the dog’s welfare is now a heavier responsibility.

He said: “If a dog breaks a leg the treatment can cost thousands of pounds. If it has a long term illness, on tablets costing perhaps £100 a month, the commission will only pay 50% of that bill.

“There’s a welfare issue. At the end of the month, when you’re paying your various bills what comes first – the mortgage payment or the dog?

“If it wasn’t for the job I wouldn’t have the dogs, so it’s all geared in favour of the commission.

“You pray nothing happens to the dogs. I’m terrified because I like my dogs and my job. It’s the financial worry. My biggest concern is the welfare of the animals but if I got a big bill I would struggle.”

He doubted that police and military personnel were in the same position.

A spokesman for Forestry Enterprise Scotland (FES) said: “As a result of concerns raised by rangers, we instigated a review of payments to create a fair and consistent approach. The unions were involved at every stage and agreed to the new system.

“We believe we arrived at a range of allowances that are an improvement and compare favourably with other land management organisations that use working dogs for wildlife management.”

He said vets’ bills were the key concern and that rangers should not worry because a facility was in place to provide an advance to cover such costs “up to the agreed limits.”

The new system will remain under review.

Liz Gordon of the GMB union, which represents some staff, said: “Rangers depend on these animals and shouldn’t fear for the animals’ welfare should they be injured or fall sick.

“There’s no guarantee the commission will cover all costs and that’s simply unacceptable. Vets’ bills can run into thousands and there’s a real worry about animal welfare, here.”

FES said an online expenses system allowed claims in advance and that a previous allowance for dog food of “about £224” per year had risen to £396.

The spokesman added: “The ownership of the dog is now with the ranger and this has been largely welcomed. They can now benefit personally from stud fees, tax and of course enjoy/use the dog for their personal use.”

One GMB member said the new rulebook was “open to interpretation, causing a lot of uncertainty”.