13 September 2023
Jo Palmer,
Minister for Primary Industries and Water
The Rockliff Liberal Government will undertake a assessment of Tasmanian canine welfare rules to make sure all dogs within the State have good welfare outcomes.
Tasmania’s Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2016 set minimal requirements for the care, housing and well being of dogs.
Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Jo Palmer, stated the present rules embody particular necessities for amenities reminiscent of animal shelters, kilos and pet retailers, in addition to premises for canine rearing, coaching and boarding.
“Currently, there are exemptions under the Animal Welfare Regulations for premises that have three or more bitches over 6 months of age, which supply working or hunting dogs, dogs registered as greyhounds with Tasracing Pty Ltd, and dogs owned by members of the Tasmanian Canine Association,” Minister Palmer stated.
“This signifies that a registered greyhound coach that has a really giant breeding operation – for instance greater than 50 dogs – will be exempt from the necessities for canine breeding amenities. This might not be conducive to animal welfare outcomes.
“It is this Government’s intention to remove this exemption for greyhounds.
“I have asked the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania to establish a reference group with the Office of Racing Integrity and the RSPCA Tasmania to immediately undertake a gap analysis of the current dog welfare regulations against the TasRacing Greyhound Animal Welfare Manual (2015) to ensure we have contemporary, enforceable welfare standards for greyhounds in Tasmania.”
Minister Palmer stated working and searching dogs may even be thought-about in the course of the assessment, topic to session with the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association and the Tasmanian Canine Association.
“As a part of the assessment I’ve additionally requested the Department to take a look at choices for regulating canine breeders for the aim of bettering animal welfare requirements and responding to group issues concerning the practices of puppy farms,” Minister Palmer stated.
“This will be done in partnership with the Minister for Local Government as Minister responsible for the Dog Control Act 2000.
“I look forward to strong community engagement as we work through this important review.”
The draft rules are anticipated to be launched for public session in 2024 with introduction to observe.
More Media Releases from Jo Palmer
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