10 May 2013

New Animal Welfare Bill Undermined by Loopholes

Despite small, positive steps in the Animal Welfare Act amendment bill released this week, animal advocacy group SAFE says the bill falls well short of public expectation and will not provide animals with the protection they deserve.

“The proposed inclusion of the terms ‘practicality’ and ‘economic benefit’ in the bill is deeply disturbing,” says SAFE executive director Hans Kriek. “It will ensure that millions of factory farmed animals will continue to suffer for decades to come.”

“To make matters worse, there are a number of loopholes in the law that will allow the status quo of legalised animal suffering to remain,” says Mr Kriek. “SAFE believes that there should be no exemptions in the legislation that allow cruel practices to continue. If a practice contravenes good animal welfare then it should be banned outright under the Act – that is plain common sense.”

The effectiveness of new regulations around welfare standards will depend completely on future decisions about which standards will become regulations, and the transition process to the new regulatory framework. SAFE has serious concerns that this will bring negative results for animals. “The devil is in the detail,” says Mr Kriek.

“The bill does not tackle the woeful lack of funding for animal protection. Out of the $20 billion earned annually from animal agriculture just a tiny fraction (0.03%) is allocated to animal welfare, risking the integrity of the whole system. This is a true indication of how little value has been placed on animal welfare by successive governments.”

SAFE is calling on the public to have their say on the key animal welfare issues when the bill goes to select committee. “Our MPs must take account of public opinion and we urge the public to make a submission during the review period,” says Mr Kriek.
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