Puppy Farms Legislative progress

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Puppy FarmsLegislative progress

• Jade Norris, Scientific Officer
• RSPCA Australia

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Puppy Farms

• Major RSPCA campaign to end puppy farming since
  end of 2009
• For a number of years prior to this RSPCA
  Inspectorates have had direct experience rescuing
  animals from puppy farms.
• Run through legislative progress since 2009

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Puppy farm definition

• A puppy farm (puppy factory/puppy mill)
• is an intensive dog breeding facility that is
  operated under inadequate conditions that fail to
  meet the dogs' behavioural, social and/or
  physiological needs.
• Usually large-scale commercial operations, but
  inadequate conditions may also exist in small
  volume breeding establishments which may or may
  not be run for profit.

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Puppy Farms
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Puppy Farms
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Puppy Farms
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Puppy farms

• In Australia current regulations for the breeding
  and sale of dogs are inadequate
• Various gaps exist (see National Regulation
  tables).
•  

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Regulation of breeding
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Regulation of sale
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Regulation of sale contd
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Progress

• Since start of puppy farm
  campaign some legislative progress
• However, more work is urgently needed within
  individual states/territories
• National co-ordination to allow breeder
  traceability across state borders
• Export requirements

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The Good news

• Tasmania
• AWAC planning Code for the
  breeding of dogs
• 1st July 2011 Mandatory to microchip dogs from 6
  months of age

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Victoria

• Domestic Animals Act reviewed
• New government advised they
• are committed to legislative change for the
  Spring session
• Increased powers to RSPCA Inspectorate to enforce
  the Domestic Animals Act, previously only
  enforceable by local government officers
• When a cruelty complaint is investigated and
  breaches of the Domestic Animals Act are evident,
  RSPCA Inspectors now have the power to act
  outside of POCTAA

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South Australia

• COP for the Care and Management
• of Animals in the Pet Trade reviewed
• Public consultation phase
• Awaiting final draft of Code to be released by
  SA government

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NT

• No changes apart from
• a number of councils have made microchipping
  mandatory for dogs over 6 months of age
• There is no Domestic Animals Act in the NT there
  are local by-laws.

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QLD

• Government announced Breeder ID system
• Scheme includes
• Breeder ID
• compulsory microchipping of breeding bitch
• breeder ID nos to be displayed at points of sale
  and in advertising
• ID of breeding bitch part of the microchip
  information on all her puppies
• development of Dog Breeder Standards under Animal
  Care and Protection Act 2001
• Gold Coast Breeder Permit System (which Joy
  Verrinder just gave an update on).

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ACT

• No regulatory changes
• Discussion paper
• "The Breeding and Sale of Companion Animals in
  the ACT September 2010
• Enforceable COP under Animal Welfare Act 1992
• Recent changes to Animal Welfare Act 1992 allow
  inclusion of mandatory enforceable components in
  codes
• Awaiting release by ACT government

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NSW

• Animal Welfare Code of Practice Animals in Pet
  Shops
• Animal Welfare Code of Practice Breeding Dogs
  and Cats
• Both enable enforcement of standards
• Difficulty - with no central register of
  breeders, RSPCA may not know where all
  breeding facilities are
• May not be sure animals kept in accordance with
  breeding standards
• Central register of breeders, breeder prefix and
  microchip number to be included in any
  advertisement and at sale or transfer

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WA

• No changes
• Benefit from
• Compulsory microchipping
• Kennel licence but no standards for breeding dogs

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Australian National Kennel Council

• Microchipping compulsory for all registered
  pedigree dogs before registration of pup -
  nationally 1st January 2012
• Great step forward
• enables positive ID pedigree dogs
• drive compulsory microchipping for all puppies
• breeder traceability

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Key points

• Regulations for breeding and sale
• inadequate
• Greater resources for monitoring
• and enforcement
• enforcement model, co-regulatory approach
• animal welfare inspectors (RSPCA or govt depts)
  and local govt animal management officers
• Qld scheme, breeder code adopted under ACPA,
  registration under Animal Management (Dogs and
  Cats) Act
• National inconsistency variations between
  states/territories
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Key points 2

• Lack of National co-ordination
• breeder traceability across state borders
• Compulsory microchipping by breeder
• prior to sale or transfer with nationally
• co-ordinated microchip database
• Breeder registration/identification - breeder ID
  no. at any sale or transfer and in any
  advertisement
• National approach essential but state-based
  initiatives are also essential

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Export

• Export requirements not sufficient
• to protect welfare
• Importing country sets requirements
• Regulations/enforcement need to be strengthened
• We need to know
• where dogs have come from i.e. breeder and
  exporter identified, pups microchipped
• where animals are going

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Smart Puppy Buyer Guide

• Holistic approach
• regulatory reform
• public awareness, education

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End Puppy Farming The Way Forward

• RSPCA will continue to
• communicate key principles 
• in Way Forward to key stakeholders
• industry, breeders, governments
• policy makers at every available
• opportunity

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Thanks!