Mr. Martin Blake:

We have access to the data. We get information back from the databases on the numbers they register or microchip on a yearly basis. We have a similar process in place for horses. In that case, we did not have anyone else co-ordinating that information. At the moment, for dogs that is co-ordinated through Europetnet, but for horses there was no private industry bringing that together, so the Department put an overarching system in place. Again, it is one of those policy decisions. It is a question of the benefit that will accrue versus the cost of doing it.

The Senator asked who does the microchipping. I am not sure we have had any complaints about any problems with any lay microchipping data. It has not been reported to us. The database owners are required to train and authorise these people to do the microchipping. If they are not doing the business, the database owners can get rid of them.