Angus Council: Concerning the use of Animals

Angus Council did not have the information requested.

Dear Angus Council,

I write to request information about the operations and locations of organisations and establishments which make use of animals within the local constituency. Please note that the use of the term ‘animal’ in this request is not restricted to mammals and birds, but should be extended to fish and insects. These requests pertain to information as held from the 1st April 2018 and concern operations as recorded from 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2019. My request concerns four major areas of animal use in industry.

1) Establishments that keep livestock for the provision of animal products (including fisheries, dairies and farms producing wool, silk, leather or fur).

2) Establishments that keep animals for entertainment/leisure or educational purposes including zoos, sanctuaries, petting zoos, reserves, racetracks and any other organisations that profit financially from the use of animals.

3) Locations of facilities which breed and sell animals for commercial, educational or leisure use. This may include rodent farms, puppy mills, farrowing establishments, service dog training centers, pet shops.

4) Facilities equipped for the slaughter or destruction of animals, this includes slaughterhouses and universities or other research facilities but not veterinary clinics which carry out palliative euthanasia as falls under reasonable duty of care.

I request;

- Information on the locations of these establishments within the local authority area.
- Information on the operations of these establishments within the local authority area as far as may be provided, including live transport and on-site processing.
- Information on the specific animals handled by these establishments, the turnover and the purpose of their use.
- Information on licensing requirements to continue operations.
- Details of any animal welfare and health and safety concerns raised concerning the operations, practices and environment within these establishments.
- Information on land use; acreage, whether land is rented or owned, land/council tax arrangements.
- Taxation or other charges levied against the operations and income of these establishments.
- Charitable status and government or local authority subsidies/grants awarded to these establishments where applicable.
- Information on the arrangements for waste disposal of these establishments.
- Information on fuel consumption and pollution attributable to these establishments.
- Information on the employment created by these establishments, staff turnover and wages ratios (ie Lowest:Highest earners within the establishment).
- Contact details for escalation of FOI requests to specific establishments where sufficient information could not be provided.
- With reference to the law concerning presence of CCTV in slaughterhouses and farms, please indicate which establishments have CCTV, and inform on how this footage is reviewed and how it may be accessible to the public.

I acknowledge that this request is long and complex, and that the council may not hold all the information. I appreciate in advance any efforts to begin answering these questions.

Yours faithfully,

Amy Wilson

InformationGovernance, Angus Council

Dear Ms Wilson

 

Thank you for your information request dated 12 April 2019 (received by
Angus Council that same day).

 

If we are unable to provide you with a response within 20 working days, we
will advise you of this in writing.

 

Please refer to the information below which explains your right to
complain if you are unhappy with how the Council is dealing with your
request.

 

If you have any queries, please ask for me on 01307 491992 or email
[1][Angus Council request email]  

 

Yours sincerely

 

Martin Friedrich

 

 

 

___________________________________________

Martin Friedrich | Paralegal-FOI | Place - Legal & Democratic| Angus
Council |Angus House | Orchardbank Business Park | Forfar | DD8 1AN | DX
530678| Tel: 01307 491992

 

 

 

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2004

INSPIRE (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2009

                                                             

Your Right to Request a Review by the Council

                                                               

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which Angus Council has dealt with
your request for information under any of the above statutory instruments,
you have a right to ask the council to review its actions and/or decisions
regarding your request. If you wish to do this, you should make your
request to the Service Leader – Legal & Democratic, Place Directorate,
Angus Council, Angus House, Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar DD8 1AN or
e-mail [2][Angus Council request email] within 40 working days.

 

Your request must:                      

·         be in writing (or recordable format);

·         give your name and address for correspondence;

·         give details of the information which you originally requested
from the council;  and

·         give the reasons why you are dissatisfied with the way in which
your application for information has been dealt with.

 

Your application for review will then be considered by the council’s
review panel.  The review panel will write to you informing you of its
decision not later than 20 working days after receipt of your request for
a review. The review panel will also provide you with a statement of its
reasons for arriving at the decision it has made.

 

Your Right to Appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner

 

If you are dissatisfied with a decision of the council's review panel (or
where the review panel has not provided you with a response), you have the
right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as
to whether your request for information has been dealt with by the council
in accordance with the above statutory instruments.

 

Your application to the Scottish Information Commissioner must:

o be in a recordable format (letter, e-mail, audio tape etc);

o give your name and address for correspondence.
o give details of the request for information which you originally
requested from the council;
o give details of why you were dissatisfied with the council’s response
to your original request;
o give details of why you were dissatisfied with the decision of the
council's review panel.

 

In the case of an EIR or FOI request your application to the Scottish
Information Commissioner must be made within 6 months of receipt of the
decision of the council’s review panel (or within 6 months of the date
that the review panel should have responded).  No such time limit applies
under the 2009 Regulations. 

 

Appeals to the Commissioner can be lodged online through the following
hyperlink:

[3]http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourR...
or by contacting:

 

Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St
Andrews, Fife, KY16 9BS; Telephone - 01334 464610; Fax - 01334 464611;
Email - [4][email address]

 

 

 

 

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FriedrichM, Angus Council

Dear Ms Wilson

 

Request for Information

 

Thank you for your request for information dated 12 April 2019 (received
by the Council that same day) which has been passed to me for attention. 

 

You have requested the following information:

 

… information about the operations and locations of organisations and
establishments which make use of animals within the local constituency.
Please note that the use of the term ‘animal’ in this request is not
restricted to mammals and birds, but should be extended to fish and
insects. These requests pertain to information as held from the 1st April
2018 and concern operations as recorded from 1st April 2018 to 31st March
2019. My request concerns four major areas of animal use in industry.

 

1) Establishments that keep livestock for the provision of animal products
(including fisheries, dairies and farms producing wool, silk, leather or
fur).

 

2) Establishments that keep animals for entertainment/leisure or
educational purposes including zoos, sanctuaries, petting zoos, reserves,
racetracks and any other organisations that profit financially from the
use of animals. 

 

3) Locations of facilities which breed and sell animals for commercial,
educational or leisure use. This may include rodent farms, puppy mills,
farrowing establishments, service dog training centers, pet shops.

 

4) Facilities equipped for the slaughter or destruction of animals, this
includes slaughterhouses and universities or other research facilities but
not veterinary clinics which carry out palliative euthanasia as falls
under reasonable duty of care.

 

I request;

 

- Information on the locations of these establishments within the local
authority area.

- Information on the operations of these establishments within the local
authority area as far as may be provided, including live transport and
on-site processing.

- Information on the specific animals handled by these establishments, the
turnover and the purpose of their use.

- Information on licensing requirements to continue operations.

- Details of any animal welfare and health and safety concerns raised
concerning the operations, practices and environment within these
establishments.

- Information on land use; acreage, whether land is rented or owned,
land/council tax arrangements.

- Taxation or other charges levied against the operations and income of
these establishments.

- Charitable status and government or local authority subsidies/grants
awarded to these establishments where applicable.

- Information on the arrangements for waste disposal of these
establishments.

- Information on fuel consumption and pollution attributable to these
establishments.

- Information on the employment created by these establishments, staff
turnover and wages ratios (ie Lowest:Highest earners within the
establishment).

- Contact details for escalation of FOI requests to specific
establishments where sufficient information could not be provided.

- With reference to the law concerning presence of CCTV in slaughterhouses
and farms, please indicate which establishments have CCTV, and inform on
how this footage is reviewed and how it may be accessible to the public.

 

I acknowledge that this request is long and complex, and that the council
may not hold all the information.

 

In response I would advise that the information you are requesting is
either not or not recorded in the format you are requesting it or the
council has no involvement in the matters to which you are referring.  In
order to put this into context for you your request seems to have been
made on the (incorrect) assumption that all handling of animals and
related businesses and processes would require a licence from or
registration with the council, e.g. by beekeepers, livestock farmers,
fishermen, Dogs for the Blind training centres etc with whom the council
has no involvement.  In addition, you are requesting information which you
would need to research yourself, e.g. information on land use, taxation,
fuel consumption etc.  Charitable status of charities is available from
the [1]Scottish Charity Regulator.  Information on the disposal of animal
by-products is available from the Scottish and UK Governments and I refer
you to their websites:

 

[2]https://www.gov.scot/policies/animal-hea...

 

[3]https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...

 

The council does not hold business information regarding employment or
staffing turnover etc, nor are businesses required to register the
operation of CCTV with the council – you may want to refer to advice by
the Information Commissioner’s Office.  Likewise we are not permitted to
“escalate” FOI requests to establishments outside the council.

 

What the council can provide to you is licensing information which is
proactively published on our website and which is easily accessible by
you:

 

[4]https://licensing-register.angus.gov.uk/...

 

[5]https://www.angus.gov.uk/directories/lic...

 

Just for completeness, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 was
introduced to ensure that people have the right to request access to
“recorded information” held by public authorities such as the Council.
“Recorded information” is information that exists in some permanent form
and is accessible, e.g. correspondence or a database extract at the time a
request is received. However, the Act does not apply where people are
requesting from the council to research certain information and to create
new information.  In addition, the Act does not entitle individuals to
carry out new work for them. 

 

I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful to you on this occasion. Please
note that the information contained in this reply is believed to be
accurate as of today's date (unless otherwise indicated) but no warranty
is given. Further, Angus Council does not accept liability for any loss,
injury or damage which arises from the use of the information contained in
this reply either by you or by any other party. Please refer to the
information set out below which explains your right to complain if you are
unhappy with how the Council has dealt with your request. If you have any
queries, please contact me on 01307 491992 or e-mail
[6][Angus Council request email]

 

Yours sincerely

 

Martin Friedrich

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________

Martin Friedrich | Paralegal-FOI | Place - Legal & Democratic| Angus
Council |Angus House | Orchardbank Business Park | Forfar | DD8 1AN | DX
530678

 

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2004

INSPIRE (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2009

                                                             

Your Right to Request a Review by the Council

                                                               

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which Angus Council has dealt with
your request for information under any of the above statutory instruments,
you have a right to ask the council to review its actions and/or decisions
regarding your request. If you wish to do this, you should make your
request to the Service Leader – Legal & Democratic, Place Directorate,
Angus Council, Angus House, Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar DD8 1AN or
e-mail [7][Angus Council request email] within 40 working days.

 

Your request must:                      

·         be in writing (or recordable format);

·         give your name and address for correspondence;

·         give details of the information which you originally requested
from the council;  and

·         give the reasons why you are dissatisfied with the way in which
your application for information has been dealt with.

 

Your application for review will then be considered by the council’s
review panel.  The review panel will write to you informing you of its
decision not later than 20 working days after receipt of your request for
a review. The review panel will also provide you with a statement of its
reasons for arriving at the decision it has made.

 

Your Right to Appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner

 

If you are dissatisfied with a decision of the council's review panel (or
where the review panel has not provided you with a response), you have the
right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as
to whether your request for information has been dealt with by the council
in accordance with the above statutory instruments.

 

Your application to the Scottish Information Commissioner must:

o be in a recordable format (letter, e-mail, audio tape etc);

o give your name and address for correspondence.
o give details of the request for information which you originally
requested from the council;
o give details of why you were dissatisfied with the council’s response
to your original request;
o give details of why you were dissatisfied with the decision of the
council's review panel.

 

In the case of an EIR or FOI request your application to the Scottish
Information Commissioner must be made within 6 months of receipt of the
decision of the council’s review panel (or within 6 months of the date
that the review panel should have responded).  No such time limit applies
under the 2009 Regulations. 

 

Appeals to the Commissioner can be lodged online through the following
hyperlink:

[8]http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourR...
or by contacting:

 

Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St
Andrews, Fife, KY16 9BS; Telephone - 01334 464610; Fax - 01334 464611;
Email - [9][email address]

 

 

 

From: InformationGovernance
Sent: 16 April 2019 15:48
To: '[FOI #567702 email]'
<[10][FOI #567702 email]>
Subject: FOI Request 432/19: What do they know - Use of Animals

 

Dear Ms Wilson

 

Thank you for your information request dated 12 April 2019 (received by
Angus Council that same day).

 

If we are unable to provide you with a response within 20 working days, we
will advise you of this in writing.

 

Please refer to the information below which explains your right to
complain if you are unhappy with how the Council is dealing with your
request.

 

If you have any queries, please ask for me on 01307 491992 or email
[11][Angus Council request email]  

 

Yours sincerely

 

Martin Friedrich

 

 

 

___________________________________________

Martin Friedrich | Paralegal-FOI | Place - Legal & Democratic| Angus
Council |Angus House | Orchardbank Business Park | Forfar | DD8 1AN | DX
530678| Tel: 01307 491992

 

 

 

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2004

INSPIRE (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2009

                                                             

Your Right to Request a Review by the Council

                                                               

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which Angus Council has dealt with
your request for information under any of the above statutory instruments,
you have a right to ask the council to review its actions and/or decisions
regarding your request. If you wish to do this, you should make your
request to the Service Leader – Legal & Democratic, Place Directorate,
Angus Council, Angus House, Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar DD8 1AN or
e-mail [12][Angus Council request email] within 40 working days.

 

Your request must:                      

·         be in writing (or recordable format);

·         give your name and address for correspondence;

·         give details of the information which you originally requested
from the council;  and

·         give the reasons why you are dissatisfied with the way in which
your application for information has been dealt with.

 

Your application for review will then be considered by the council’s
review panel.  The review panel will write to you informing you of its
decision not later than 20 working days after receipt of your request for
a review. The review panel will also provide you with a statement of its
reasons for arriving at the decision it has made.

 

Your Right to Appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner

 

If you are dissatisfied with a decision of the council's review panel (or
where the review panel has not provided you with a response), you have the
right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as
to whether your request for information has been dealt with by the council
in accordance with the above statutory instruments.

 

Your application to the Scottish Information Commissioner must:

o be in a recordable format (letter, e-mail, audio tape etc);

o give your name and address for correspondence.
o give details of the request for information which you originally
requested from the council;
o give details of why you were dissatisfied with the council’s response
to your original request;
o give details of why you were dissatisfied with the decision of the
council's review panel.

 

In the case of an EIR or FOI request your application to the Scottish
Information Commissioner must be made within 6 months of receipt of the
decision of the council’s review panel (or within 6 months of the date
that the review panel should have responded).  No such time limit applies
under the 2009 Regulations. 

 

Appeals to the Commissioner can be lodged online through the following
hyperlink:

[13]http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourR...
or by contacting:

 

Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St
Andrews, Fife, KY16 9BS; Telephone - 01334 464610; Fax - 01334 464611;
Email - [14][email address]

 

 

 

 

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