Advert for Pet Homing Chip Withdrawn "Virbac has been required to withdraw its advertising and promotional material (advertorial) for it's 'BackHome' microchip with immediate effect," the NSPCA said in a statement. The animal protection organisation's Christine Kuch said the NSPCA movement was concerned that the material has misled readers into believing that any scanner at any welfare organisation would be able to read the Virbac product. This was not the case. "The NSPCA feels it is important for readers to be aware that no matter how accessible the database, detection of the microchip is essential." "The Virbac microchip cannot be detected by scanners at SPCA's," Kuch said. She added that the same applied for other animal welfare groups. Kuch also called for some standardisation in the industry. "How many times, with how many scanners, must one scan an animal? What is the legal implication for us destroying even a single animal that carried a chip but that we could not detect with our scanner?" The matter was taken to the ASA by KGT Incorporated, lawyers for Identipet, a rival microchip supplier. |
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