Why is a review of Tasmania’s legislation covering dogs being undertaken?
This review is being undertaken to ensure contemporary and enforceable welfare outcomes for all dogs in Tasmania. It arose as a result of public concern about puppy farms as well as feedback from animal welfare officers about the current legislation.
What do the current Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2016, ‘Tasmanian Animal Welfare Guidelines for Dogs’ and Dog Control Act 2000 do?
The Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2016 establish standards for the care of all dogs in Tasmania.
The Regulations, which came into effect on 1 January 2017, impose requirements on all dog-owners in Tasmania to ensure appropriate care is provided by anyone who has a dog or dogs in their care. Some additional rules apply to facilities like animal shelters, pet shops and breeders.
The Guidelines provide guidance on the best ways to care for dogs in Tasmania. These Guidelines are not enforceable but outline appropriate measures of housing, exercise, and training.
The Dog Control Act 2000 is not primarily welfare focussed, it is concerned with management issues such as dog registration and kennel licences. However, this Act has been identified as being the appropriate way to enact some of the proposed changes to the dog welfare legislation such as microchipping requirements and information sharing about kennel licences with animal welfare regulators.
How do the Tasmania’s Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2016 contribute to the health and welfare of dogs in various facilities such as shelters, pounds, and pet shops?
The current Regulations have specific requirements for establishments such as animal shelters, pounds and pet shops, as well as places involved in dog rearing, training, and boarding. Facilities as currently defined in the Regulations have a higher set of requirements consistent with the demands to manage more dogs successfully.
What classes of dog breeders are not classified as ‘facilities’ under the current Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2016? And why not?
Under the current Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2016, dog breeders who supply exclusively working or hunting dogs, dogs registered as greyhounds with Tasracing Pty Ltd, or dogs owned by members of Dogs Tasmania are not classified as “facilities” for the purposes of the regulations. This means they are not subject to the additional requirements in the regulations that are specific to facilities.
At the time, when the regulations were developed, it was noted that these classes of animals had existing rules and controls under other legislation.
If greyhound breeders aren’t covered by facilities regulations, have they had no controls?
The Animal Welfare Act 1993 general provisions relating to method of management apply to all animals.
The general provisions contained in Part 2 of the Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2016 apply to greyhounds in the same way that they apply to all other dogs.
In addition, the Tasmanian Greyhound Rules of Racing (incorporating the Greyhounds Australasia Rules) and the Tasracing Greyhound Animal Welfare Manual provide some prescriptions that are actively regulated through the Office of Racing Integrity (ORI) inspections processes.
Questions should be directed to the Office of Racing Integrity.
What specific measures is the Government considering to regulate dog breeders and address concerns related to puppy farms?
A review of the legislation has concluded that the best way of targeting puppy farming is to use the provisions of the Dog Control Act 2000. Specifically, it is proposed that:
a cap on the number of breeding bitches that a person may own be introduced
the required age for microchipping is lowered so that puppies can be individually identified from an earlier age
information sharing will be introduced so that enforcement agencies can identify possible puppy farms
What consultation has been undertaken so far?
The Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (AWAC) put forward recommendations that have been taken into account in the development of the proposed legislative changes. This committee represents a number of key stakeholders in relation to animal welfare in Tasmania.
RSPCA Tasmania has had input into the process through a working group which contributed to development of the proposals. The Local Government Division of the Department of Premier and Cabinet was also represented on this working group and has consulted with some of the larger Councils for initial feedback.