THE RSPCA, local councils and the NSW police were not exempt from criticism at the first public hearing of the Joint Select Committee on Companion Animal Breeding Practices in NSW.
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The committee chaired by Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall met at Armidale Council Chambers on Tuesday, July 14.
Witness Judy Scrivener of Inverell was gave testimony at the hearing that she had posed as a buyer of a dog to gain access to a property suspected of animal welfare issues.
She questioned why it was up to community members to uncover bad practice on properties.
“Why aren’t the RSPCA doing it? Why are we doing the job?” Ms Scrivener asked.
She said the RSPCA is often in situations where they might prosecute, but argue it is a drain on their resources unless the case is large enough they will gain a measure of success.
“It’s in the too-hard basket a lot of the time,” she said.
“In reality there are many, many times they could act, and go for prosecution. They don’t.”
Pat Carmody of Gwydir Park Refuge in Delungra agreed in her testimony the RSPCA were often more interested in pursuing the larger scale operations than the many cruelty cases
“I had a dog six weeks ago that was shot in the head and left to die on the side of the road. It was just left there, that’s the trouble,” she said.
“They never bothered to make sure it was dead.”
Ms Carmody said it was brought to Gwydir Park, they took the dog to the vet, phoned the local RSPCA inspector to report the incident.
The dog was microchipped.
“On the Saturday morning before we left home, I rang the chief inspector of the RSPCA, he returned our call halfway to Inverell,” she said.
The inspector asked what they were doing, was informed they were taking the dog for x-rays, which Ms Carmody said met with the inspector’s approval.
“We have since put in two phone calls about it being microchipped and what the story was,” she said.
Ms Carmody told the committee they failed to receive a return call from the welfare organisation.
She said it is typical of the RSPCA when it comes to individual cruelty cases.
“If it’s one dog on a chain, dying, (they’re) not interested. If it’s a puppy farm – publicity – interested,” she said.
Ms Carmody said she and Mr Johnson were former active members for the RSPCA, but left the organisation after frustration with the organisation’s response to welfare incidents.
“The standard issue that you would get that “If it has food, water and shelter, there’s nothing we can do about it, good-bye,” she said.
“That is why I’m not in the RSPCA.”
Ms Scrivener said there was a deficit of local services attending animal welfare cases.
“I’d almost put council and police in the same boat,” she said.
“Police will tell you that, it’s not our job, you need to ring the RSPCA.”
Ms Carmody was asked if the local councils were helpful and communicative in issues of animal welfare.
“Councils, I have found, in a word are very indifferent and don’t want to know, too much drama, we’re not really interested,” she said.
Ms Carmody said it seemed that unless a council would be found in a bad light, they were unresponsive.
“So anything to do with animal behaviour, or animal cruelty, local councils tend not to want to know about it.”
Mr Johnson commented on the state of some local council pounds.
“I’ve seen better pig factories.”
Ms Carmody said she was dissatisfied with incidents where the RSPCA worked as enforcers of the Animal Welfare Code of Practice for breeding dogs and cats within the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
“I have an issues with the RSPCA policing it; a major issue, mainly because the RSPCA aren’t trained in the application of this standard,” Ms Carmody said.
“Their main priority is actually cruelty to animals; not what condition they are, how many is in the paddock, where the vet bill went, where the pup went to when it was sold.
“What’s that got to do with the RSPCA?” she said.
