The End of Puppy Farms

[Guest The Pom Queen]

An end to puppy farms in Queensland and the cruel and ruthless exploitation of dogs for profit is a step closer after Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Leanne Donaldson introduced a Bill into Parliament this week. Minister Donaldson said the Bill to legislate for compulsory registration for dog breeders would mean cruel puppy farms would no longer be able to go undetected.

 

"A new dog breeder registration system will, for the first time, make it possible to locate and close down those dog breeding facilities where profit is put before the welfare of dogs," the Minister said. "Shutting down unethical puppy farms was a 2015 Labour Government election commitment, and we are delivering on that promise.

 

"I want to thank the RSPCA, Dogs Queensland and other animal welfare organisations for the work they have done in conjunction with the Government on this Bill." Minister Donaldson said the government had undertaken extensive consultation including a public survey completed by more than 8300 people and 95% of respondents supported compulsory registration for dog breeders.

 

"This will be backed up with compulsory standards and guidelines for breeding dogs developed in consultation with the RSPCA and Dogs Queensland," she said. "Once finalised, the standards will be adopted as a compulsory requirement under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 and will apply to all dog breeders in Queensland.

 

"As with any industry, there are those people that do the right thing and those that don't." RSPCA Qld CEO Mark Townend said RSPCA staff and volunteers were only too well aware of the animal welfare issues associated with puppy farms. "We've been forced to seize animals from conditions that were appalling," he said.

 

"It's purely a money-making exercise and often the dogs bred there suffer from genetic conditions that will cost future owners thousands of dollars in veterinary bills. "We wholly support this initiative. It is legislation that we believe will make it a lot easier to control irresponsible and illegal breeding".

 

Minister Donaldson said the government's intention was to force out of business the estimated 100 Queensland puppy farm operators who were not prepared to trade transparently.

 

"Our target is those breeders who are not prepared to consider the health and well-being of their dogs and those who seek to hide from scrutiny because their practices are reprehensible," the Minister said.

 

"This Government is committed to providing legislation and standards that protects the reputation of Queensland's animal industries and ensures the welfare of all animals.

 

"The community has shown it wants to end this practice. Ethical dog breeders and animal welfare organisations are behind this legislation and we are calling upon the Opposition to join with us to kick these rogue operators out of Queensland".

 

For more information visit http://www.biosecurity.qld.gov.au or call Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.

 

At the same time, Biosecurity Queensland posted the following details on their website. This information is far more detailed and indicates that a number of concerns which we had raised in the past may have been addressed:

 

On 16 February 2016 the Animal Management (Protecting Puppies) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016 (Bill) was introduced to Parliament. This Bill will put in place measures so that cruel puppy farms will no longer go undetected in Queensland.

 

For the first time, a new dog breeder registration scheme will allow authorities to locate and close down dog breeders who put profit before the welfare of dogs. Dog breeders in Queensland will be required to register for a dog breeder identification number and then display their breeder ID when advertising dogs for sale, exchange or give away.

 

Breeders will also need to record their breeder ID against the microchip details of dogs they breed allowing a dog to be traced back to their breeder. This will be backed up with compulsory standards and guidelines for breeding dogs which are being developed in consultation with the RSPCA and Dogs Queensland.

 

The breeder registration scheme will allow people to check that the breeder is registered and confidently buy a dog knowing that the breeder is accountable for the welfare of their dogs and they can be found if they are not doing the right thing.

 

Exemptions

Primary producers who breed working dogs and accredited breeders of approved entities will be exempt from the registration scheme. Organisations that already register their members, will be able to apply to become an approved entity. Members of approved entities will still need to display their accredited breeder number when supplying dogs and have their number recorded against the dog's microchip information.

 

Consultation

In drafting this Bill, the Queensland Government undertook extensive consultation, including a public survey completed by more than 8,300 people and almost 500 email submissions. The vast majority of Queenslanders support compulsory registration for dog breeders to ensure breeders are able to be tracked.