AN INQUIRY report into backyard dog breeders and puppy farms has recommended all commercial cat and dog breeders be licensed, in an effort to crack down on unscrupulous practices.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Joint Select Committee on Companion Animal Breeding Practices in NSW report was released and tabled in state Parliament yesterday, following a three-month inquiry which included a public hearing held in Armidale in mid-July.
The report also recommended the state government require all pet sale advertisements to include the breeder’s identification and animal microchip numbers, so that buyers can verify the breeder and trace the animal’s history.
The committee was chaired by member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall, who said the committee members’ unanimous findings in the report was very rare.
“Licensing breeders will draw the line between good breeders who have the welfare of their animals at heart, and unscrupulous breeders who put profit first,” Mr Marshall said.
“It’s not every day of the week you see a Nationals MP standing next to an animal justice member, but this proves how important this is to get this right.
“We wanted to make sure we got it right, but we wanted to make sure we put forward recommendations that were practical. We don’t want to penalise good breeders, but until we can clearly distinguish the good breeders by licensing them, the puppy factories will keep flying under the radar.”
However, the report did not call for an outright ban on selling cats and dogs in pet shops, after the committee heard evidence the pet shop industry was willing to be more closely regulated.
It recommended pet shops only sell companion animals from licensed breeding facilities.
As part of the proposed licensing scheme, a comprehensive database of breeders would be established, with periodic audits and spot inspections being carried out; a restriction would be imposed on the number of animals each breeding facility can keep; and a breeder’s licence number would be recorded with an animal’s microchip.
The committee has also called for better co-ordination of animal welfare enforcement, an expanded role for local government rangers, a review of penalties for animal cruelty, and greater co-operation between the states to ensure puppy factories do not relocate to avoid being closed down.
The committee received 344 submissions and a petition containing 3000 signatures, and heard evidence from 42 witnesses at the public hearings.
The government has six months in which to respond to the report.