Yesterday’s passage of the Regional Pest Management Plan places significant financial risks onto ratepayers, due to the decision to manage faulty pet microchips ‘operationally’.

Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson Jo Holmes says, “The Council’s response to the failure of 15,000 microchips is to make future failures the ratepayer’s problem, effectively bailing out the producers of faulty chips. Instead, the Council should be seeking financial redress from the chip suppliers.

“Handling microchip issues ‘operationally’ means ratepayers foot the bill not only for enforcement of the regime, but also for the reimbursement of cat owners when Mr Fluffles is mistaken for a feral Slinky Malinki and wrongfully euthanised.”

“The costs of this reimbursement would be considerable – we are told that it could cover the cat’s previous accumulated vet bills.”

The Ratepayers’ Alliance also notes that many of its members have expressed concerns around the wider implementation of the Regional Pest Management Plan, with specific regards to the potential euthanasia of domestic cats incorrectly identified as feral or ‘unowned’ cats.

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