PACT urges against the ‘Flick a Poo’ campaign citing environmental concerns
The Professional Association of Canine Trainers (PACT) has urged dog walkers to not join the recently-launched ‘Flick a Poo’ campaign, saying it will do more damage to the environment than good.
The campaign, set up by dog owner Carina Evans, was launched at Crufts 2023, urging dog owners to ditch their plastic bags and simply o push poo into shrubbery and overgrowth, in a bid to cut down on single-use plastics.
However, PACT says the action could do more harm than good, as leaving poo to decompose can cause a host of issues to the natural environment.
PACT Director Natalie Light, with a degree in zoology, said: “While we know this campaign came from a good place and Carina is absolutely right in cracking down on single-use plastics, the approach needs to be different. Not only is dog poo gross to step in, but it can also have serious environmental implications for the plants that grow there and the grazing livestock.
“For example, dog poo contains a high level of nutrients that can significantly alter local habitats. Wildflower meadows, for example, thrive in low nutrient environments, and over time may transition to becoming grass monoculture, reducing ecology and the quality of the environment for humans.”
The association also said there was also a risk posed to humans, as dog poo can contain viruses which can be harmful to humans, such as toxocariasis, which could increase hazards to other humans in the area.
PACT Director Jason Light added: “The real response to this issue is to change human behaviour and encourage people to pick up the poo and put it in a bin.
“There are also perfectly good compostable bags on the market which will degrade should one be dropped, or someone accidentally leaves a poo in one in a sensitive location. Instead of campaigning for the opposite of picking up poo, we would suggest the energy would be better focused on banning non-compostable poo bags.”
