Wednesday 7 August 2013

I've made a submission about puppy farms

Here's what I wrote to the Government of Victoria in response to the draft code about puppy and kitten breeding. It's not an exhaustive list of my concerns, but I've noted the things that concern me most.

I hope this letter might encourage others in Victoria to read the RSPCA site and look at the draft code and send in their own responses. ASAP!
 We only have until 9am on 14th August.


I began with my full name, address and email address. Then I wrote:
  • This is a submission in response to the Proposed Code and Regulatory Impact Statement regarding the Code of Practice for the Operation of Breeding and Rearing Businesses.
  •  My main concerns are:
  • Euthanasia – I believe the code needs to specifically define what ‘humane’ methods consist of.
  •  Pens should not have any part of their flooring made of wire. Based on my experience of my own dog’s reactions, walking or stepping onto wire is painful for small animals.
  •  I am disappointed that business hours have been reduced to eight hours a day. Leaving pregnant animals for sixteen hours a day under the supervision of minimal staffing numbers is not safe. I don’t see how a staff member manning a business overnight for sixteen hours would be available to make sure puppies in the specified categories are fed at least every 12 hours.
  •  Breeding between second-generation related animals is not acceptable.
  •  I believe you should set a maximum breeding age, so that animals are not condemned to spending their entire lives in these places.
  •  It would be better to set maximum litter numbers for both females and males.
  •  The feeding of raw offal needs to be specifically monitored to make sure animals do not become ill on this diet.
  •  We need stronger legislation about the standards and guidelines for retirement of animals.
  •  I don’t see provision for temperature regulation. Victoria is a very hot place in summer and cold in winter.
  •  I hope these suggestions will be helpful to you in the next redrafting of the code.

2 comments:

Lassiter Chase and Benjamin said...

I think you worded it well. It was nice and to the point! Well done.

parlance said...

Thanks, Lassie and Benji. There's a lot wrong with the legislation, but I just quickly focused on the things that stood our for me as problematic.