PUPPY and kitten breeders may no longer fly under the radar if the NSW parliament adheres to recent recommendations by the Joint Select Committee on Companion Animal Breeding Practices.
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However, Inverell locals who testified at the committee’s Armidale hearing were disappointed, and felt the initial concern for animal welfare, the reason the inquiry was launched, was largely unaddressed.
The committee’s report was tabled in Sydney last Thursday, August 27 and chairman Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said the committee unanimously endorsed all 34 recommendations.
Report suggestions include the redesign of the existing animal register, licensing of breeders, requirement that all animals produced for sale be microchipped and extra state funding and role expansion for designated council rangers.
The intent is a centralised breeder registry with historic data, accessible to all welfare organisations and councils and partially accessible to the public.
“So we’ll be able to see where every single breeder is in the state, how many animals that they’ve got in that facility, and what standard is it at,” Mr Marshall said.
The committee did not recommend the ban of puppies sold in pet shops, but rather “increased regulation and research” into the industry.
Mr Marshall said the intent was to “address issues before they become issues” and become heavily proactive rather than reactive.
Pat Carmody and Geoff Johnson of Gwydir Park Refuge testified in Armidale. They read the report and felt it would ultimately be “doomed to fail”.
Ms Carmody said without alteration to current fees, animal welfare would be at stake. “At the current full cost of registration and microchipping, a puppy or kitten, before selling or giving away will be prohibitive, and I see the mass dumping of litters on refuges all across the state,” she said.
Ms Carmody said the report was well-presented but ultimately left enforcement of the rules to the public.
Mr Marshall said the public, such as Inverell animal welfare whistleblower Judy Scrivener, would continue to alert relevant agencies or council to cases of suspected infringement.
He said the new rules would depend upon the public to become more discerning when they chose a dog or cat breeder.
Ms Scrivener was a witness at the Armidale hearing. She felt disappointed the onus of policing rules would fall to the public
“Here’s a suggestion, increasing the RSPCA’s funding, and then they’re expecting people in the community like me to pick up the pieces and follow through, and then when I follow through, what happens?” she said.
The report details former NSW animal welfare and breeding management codes.
“We also recommended that the NSW government complete its current program of pet industry reforms as a priority,” Mr Marshall said.
Both Ms Scrivener and Ms Carmody felt the inclusion of prior acts and codes was repetitious and a bellwether for the inquiry outcome.
“After reading the 158 pages of this report, I have found it to be a glaring indictment on the state government on its absolute failure to administer its own legislation,” Ms Carmody said.
Ms Scrivener said puppy farm operators already had too much room to move under the current Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, with no consistent action from welfare bodies.
She felt concerned changing recommendations into law would be useless.
“Somebody please shine some light, and tell me how that’s going to cause anything different to what’s happening now, when there is already room to move, and nobody’s acting on that?”