P-05-933 Ban Goldfish from being given away at funfairs. #OperationGoldfish, Correspondence – Petitioner to Committee, 17.06.20
Thank you for taking time to discuss
this matter and for investigating the matter further. I note that
your letter states the showman guild ensures all members take
account of the welfare of goldfish. Can you please confirm how they
go about this? The letter states the member takes account of the
welfare, which implies the onus is on the member. Are the members
or the guild itself monitored or checked? What measures are in
place to ensure they are complying with the guidelines? If checks
are not undertaken by the guild, as the responsibility is on the
member; if they are undertaking incorrect practise then would they
change or improve their practise and would they know they were
acting incorrectly? Without refresher or checks in place, people
can often become complacent or information becomes outdated. I can
confirm that within a pet shop we have spot checks, mystery
shoppers, area manager checks, we have to document all sales and
customers details in line with our licensing agreement. We monitor
the water, we have exams, tests and constant refreshers to keep our
expert advice correct and up to date.
It says that for over 50 years they have had a resolution to
its constitution ensuring all members take account of the welfare
of the goldfish, however over those 50 years our society has
evolved, culture changes, what is perceived as right/wrong changes,
what should/shouldn’t happen changes, laws change. Has their
protocol been updated in the last 50 years to reflect this? Has it
even been reviewed throughout the 50 years and if so, how often?
Have they supplied a copy of their protocol/advice they give to
members? If it hasn’t been updated or changed then it clearly
is outdated like the tradition which they are trying to
defend.
I also note that they claim other prizes are available. Is it
compulsory for every stall to offer alternatives? Has this claim
been verified, as when I visited Barry island there are large signs
which state “Goldfish if you win’ (see link to
newspaper article which has pictures of the stand) – they are
clearly heavily promoting live animal prizes compared to
alternatives. Are the alternative prizes on different stalls? Are
alternative prizes only available if requested? What are the other
prize choices they offer? A high value pet with a small plastic tub
for a home versus a small stuffed toy with a nominal value? Surely
a high proportion of people would prefer a perceived higher valued
item to get their monies worth. As there is the option to win
a goldfish, of course consumers will opt for this, it seems fun and
the stalls push this. By simply banning this archaic tradition then
people wouldn’t have the option to win a goldfish on a whim,
without education.
It is reassuring that they do offer alternative prizes, which shows
that if they stopped offering live animals as prizes then they have
an alternative/ back up they can use. As the guild reference
alternative prizes it is evident that these alternatives are
successful for them, so why still use these poor live
animals?
Also is it morally right for Welsh Government to continue to
allow live animals to be given away as prizes? We as a society have
evolved and animal welfare is a very important topic. Thankfully a
lot of archaic traditions have stopped and this is a tradition
which should be stopped.
The showmen’s guild argue that there isn’t any
difference between obtaining a goldfish from a funfair or a pet
shop, whereas in fact there are a lot of very distinct differences.
In pet shops I know that (as I work in one myself) there are
certain laws you must adhere to, animal welfare criteria that must
be met and external bodies can turn up unannounced to perform a pet
welfare report at any time, which if failed holds serious
consequences for duty and all managers. You must hold a pet shop
license to be able to sell animals (to obtain this you must again,
adhere to strict animal welfare guidelines) which has to be renewed
every year. Pet shops are permanent buildings whereas some funfairs
that offer prize goldfish are travelling ones, which begs the
question where is the security? What happens to any goldfish that
they didn’t manage to sell or ‘give away’ over
the temporary summer period they were set up? You often hear horror
stories of them being thrown away, chucked in the sea, given away
for free or just binned at the end of a season, which all sounds
far fetched, however, what are you to do with a plastic tub of
hundreds of goldfish you didn’t manage to sell?
When a person goes to a funfair they do not go with the
intention of leaving that day with a 25 year commitment of a pet
that can ultimately cost hundreds of pounds and eventually need a
tank the size of your sofa. It is entirely a win made on an
impulse. I’m not denying that going to a pet shop can lead to
an impulse buy of a goldfish, however, there will be a professional
aquatics expert on hand to ensure the customer is fully capable and
understanding of the needs of this pet they are looking to purchase
and they can be refused a sale if necessary. In my experience, 9
times out of 10 when I explain to a customer that a goldfish cannot
simply go into a bowl of unfiltered water and that they will in
fact live up to 25+ years that customer will swiftly change their
minds and go for a much easier option. Also, if you do win a
goldfish as a prize from a funfair, how long is it in the bag for
before you go home? Lots of people travel over half an hour to go
to funfairs, and the maximum time a fish should be kept in a
plastic bag for moving purposes is half an hour, so that fish is
already suffering before it’s even arrived at it’s new
home. Once you have arrived home, where are you going to put the
fish? As they require a minimum of a 50 litre tank that has been
set up for at least 72 hours hour’s prior to purchase, to
ensure the water has been dechlorinated, the filter is functioning
correctly and the water has reached the right temperature, of about
18 – 22 degrees Celsius.
If the act of giving away an animal as a prize was blanket
banned across the country, then this temptation to win an animal
would be eradicated for good, saving countless animals lives and
removing them from the category of a ‘prize’ and
ultimately giving a living animal the respect it deserves; which
would be a huge step forward in the animal rights movement.
It is also disappointing to read that the showman’s
guild has given incorrect information in relation to the RSPCA. The
leaflet they offer is not from the RSPCA and in fact my previous
letter states how the information is incorrect; so much so it could
result in the death of the animal. I have, and continue to work
closely with the RSPCA who also support the motion to ban goldfish
being given away as a prize. If they were working with the
showman’s guild then the RSPCA wouldn’t be in support
of this motion as they would be confident the animal's welfare was
cared for. The RSPCA has successfully achieved the support of the
Newport, Conwy and Caerphilly Councils that have passed the ban,
again confirming that the RSPCA do not work with the
showman’s guild. Please see attached email from Lewis from
the RSPCA, which categorically confirms that they do not work with
them and have not provided any support or information to use in
their leaflets. As the showman guild has provided incorrect
information about their working relationship with the RSPCA, then
it does beg the question of the integrity of the guild and also the
accuracy of the rest of the information they have provided to Welsh
Government.
https://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/17718471.woman-aims-to-stop-fairs-goldfish-prizes/ - This is the link to the picture of the goldfish stand at Barry Island.
https://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/17932235.barry-operation-goldfish-campaigner-supports-caerphilly-council-pets-prize-concern/ - Here is a link to show OpGold working with the RSPCA in getting Caerphilly councils support in the motion.
Please also see attached an email from Lewis Clarke, the public affairs adviser, for RSPCA Cymru confirming that the information the showmen's guild has provided is incorrect.