If you have a passion for hunting, fishing, farming or owning a family pet – the Animal Welfare Reform is something that needs your attention.Sitting on the fence waiting for someone else to save the day or thinking this won’t affect you will be a major mistake. Click here to make your submission – Approx 5mins
Following a limited consultation on the Animal Welfare Reform Issues Paper that was not widely made available, and a Committee of Inquiry into Animal Crueltyrun by the Animal Justice Party, which made wide-ranging recommendations that were based primarily on the Animal Rights agenda – a large series of proposals were developed by the Department of Primary Industries.
The Goulburn post interviewed Andy Wood on the matter. He and party leader Robert Borsak have accused NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall of pandering to “fringe” animal rights groups with the proposals. However NSW Farmers, the Australian Veterinary Association and the Veterinary Practitioners Board of NSW were among those consulted.
“It is anti-farming, fishing and hunting,” Mr Wood said.
“It will send mum and dad farms to the wall because they won’t be able to compete with this level of scrutiny and unfair standards.”
Mr Wood, who ran for Goulburn at the 2019 state election, said farmers already treated their animals very well and it would be “financial suicide” to do otherwise.
But he and Mr Borsak argued the proposed introduction of “psychological suffering” in the cruelty definition was highly subjective.
“It is crazy. There’s no way you can introduce that on farms,” Mr Wood said.
“…The whole thing needs to be looked at but no one knows about it because it only popped up four weeks ago. It is hard to read, vague and broad.”
The discussion paper seeks to roll three Acts into “one single, modern animal care and protection law.”
Mr Wood accused The Nationals’ of cosying up to the “lunatic fringe” with the proposed laws.
“Adam Marshall is sponsoring this bill and it is absolute insanity,” he said.
“Farmers have gone through drought, mice plagues, lockdown and a spate of suicides in the western region. Now they want to introduce legislation that will destroy them. Whose metal health are they looking after?”
For the fisherman amongst us the Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW (RFA) warns that recreational fishing is under increasing pressure from extremist animal rights groups eager to ban the use of live bait when fishing, via their members’ submissions.
NSW Legislative Council member Emma Hurst (Animal Justice Party) said in March this year, “Fish feel pain, they are self-aware, they remember, they build relationships and exhibit emotional responses. Deliberately inflicting pain and suffering on these sentient animals can not be ignored – especially when the fishing industry kills more individual animals than any other form of animal slaughter.”
You can have your say before September 2021 by filling out anonline survey.
Alternatively, submissions can be emailed toanimalwelfare.submissions@dpi.nsw.gov.au
or posted to:
Department of Primary Industries
c/o Animal Welfare
Locked Bag 21
Orange NSW 2800
TheNSW DPI Animal Welfare Reform – Discussion Paper
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