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Feb '12

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10 February 2012

For those of you who watched the ABC's 7:30 Report tonight, you will be as shocked and outraged as the RSPCA is at the inherent cruelty within the puppy factory trade. The RSPCA is seriously concerned at the footage contained within the report as it shows clear breaches to the Code of Practice for Breeding Establishments, and clear breaches to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. While this footage has been confirmed to have been taken in October of 2011, the RSPCA only received the footage as aired in the report this week. We can also confirm that we have only received confirmation of the address of this property today, Friday 10 February.Rest assured we will be conducting a full investigation into this property. We are also extremely puzzled by Minister Walsh's comments and that he did not share the concerns we have for these dogs. It is now more important than ever that our supporters help us to close down this cruel trade. While the Government has strengthened laws for rogue breeders, the puppy factory trade will always sentence these sentient beings to a life-time of confinement and cyclical breeding often in sub-standard conditions that neither the RSPCA or the community condone. Minimum standards within the Code of Practice are paltry at best and must be changed. Help us close puppy factories for good by visiting www.closepuppyfactories.org

3 February 2012

Today, 3 February, the RSPCA welfare team negotiated the surrender of a further eight dogs from a property in Rockbank. This is an extremely positive welfare outcome for these animals. The RSPCA is continuing to work with the owner of this property regarding the remaining animals on the premises. As always, the welfare of all animals on the property remains our highest priority.

3 February 2012

We have received many enquiries regarding a recent investigation we were involved in at Rockbank, Victoria. We have been upset to read the many inaccuracies that have been reported about this investigation. We hope the factual information below helps reassure members of the community that our Inspectors are, and will continue to do everything in their power to protect the welfare of these animals.

The RSPCA shares the community’s concern for the animals at Rockbank given that some media reports have alleged the gruesome activities that may have happened at the property. A lot of the information contained in media reports over the past few days was not a true reflection of the facts. This includes the alleged slaughter of dogs for meat. Other agencies in attendance on the day have confirmed there is no evidence to support that dogs were slaughtered for human consumption. No eye witnesses have come forward to substantiate this allegation to the RSPCA.

On Wednesday 1 February, we assisted the Victorian Police to carry out a warrant at a property. Our role was to ensure that these animals were receiving the care they needed, and to investigate any welfare concerns. Additional investigations were carried out at the same time by the Victoria Police regarding other criminal concerns and Primesafe regarding the alleged slaughtering on the property.

Both our team of Inspectors, as well as an independent veterinarian, evaluated the health of 24 dogs and approximately 100 livestock including goats and sheep. Welfare concerns were raised about a selection of animals and sadly, a goat was euthanised due to its poor health. At all times, the welfare of the animals on this property was the RSPCA’s highest priority and our welfare team are doing everything in their power to protect these animals.

Our Inspectors have taken some animals from this property into our care, and have visited this property frequently over recent days. Our Inspectors must operate within the law and we are doing everything in our power and pursuing every option available to use to protect the welfare of these animals. This includes issuing legally binding directives that the owner of this property must undertake. Our extremely close contact with the owner of this property is ongoing and will continue to be ongoing. We will continue to monitor the welfare of these animals (as much as we can bound by the law). This is our highest priority.

The RSPCA is and has always, pursued every option available to us to ensure that welfare requirements for these animals is being protected. We will continue to provide updates as they are available.

25 January 2012

Have a cuppa this Australia Day… for 'all creatures great and small'

Australians can now enjoy a good cup of tea, knowing that they have made a valuable contribution to the lives of Australian animals.

This perfect tea, personally blended by the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, has been voted as Australia’s first official Afternoon Tea and is now on sale in leading supermarkets, with 10 cents from every packet going to the RSPCA.

“The RSPCA is very excited to work with Twinings on this promotion and would like to thank Mr Rudd for choosing the RSPCA as his charity of choice,” said RSPCA Australia CEO, Heather Neil.

“97% of the RSPCA’s national funding comes from the community so we rely on the generosity of Australian’s to keep our doors open.”

“Last year the RSPCA cared for 157,000 animals and our Inspectors were on the road investigating 50,000 complaints of animal cruelty and neglect.

“With 10 cents from every packet sold coming to the RSPCA, the Twinings Australian Afternoon Tea blend is a perfect way to celebrate animals this Australia Day.”

10 January 2012

RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme

Pigs are intelligent, social animals, with a complex range of behaviours and needs. The RSPCA believe that pigs should have the freedom to socialise, explore and root in straw or dirt and above all, to live a life free from cruelty. As such, the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme works closely with farmers to make a positive impact on the lives of farm animals. RSPCA Approved products are available for consumers to make a conscious decision to support farm animal welfare.

Our aim is to improve the welfare of as many farm animals as possible. To have a meaningful impact on pig welfare we would like to see humane pork products on every supermarket shelf across the country, and we will continue to work to achieve this. Consumers can rest assured that the pigs farmed to supply consumer products in RSPCA Approved products - as highlighted in recent media articles - strictly adhere to the RSPCA’s Standards for outdoor production.

These standards promote higher animal welfare by providing for pigs behavioural and physiological needs needs and are have always been available publicly via www.rspca.org.au/approvedfarming.

In order to promote higher animal welfare, sows (mother pigs) produced on RSPCA Approved farms and their piglets have access to the outdoors and RSPCA experts regularly visit farms to assess their ability to consistently meet our high standards. Eligible farms are only approved if they are able to meet the high standards of welfare required.

The biggest welfare problem facing Australian pigs is intensive confinement in sow stalls and farrowing crates. As such, RSPCA Approved farms do not use sow stalls, farrowing crates or barren concrete pens.

The difference is significant. In conventional farming systems sows are confined in sow stalls for part of their pregnancy, and are moved to farrowing crates to give birth. Conventional farming systems also transfer piglets to concrete pens where they are confined until they are ready for slaughter.

RSPCA Approved products aims to influence cruel farming practises such as these, by promoting positive alternatives. Consumers can be confident in that buying a product that displays the RSPCA logo supports higher animal welfare.

As the RSPCA is not-for-profit charity there is no commercial gain from the sale of RSPCA Approved products at Coles supermarkets and independent retailers. As part of this initiative, the RSPCA receives a small royalty from the sale of RSPCA Approved products, which is used to develop RSPCA Approved farms and marketing RSPCA Approved products to consumers. The royalty is two per cent of the Licensees (the brand owners) wholesale selling price.

In order to further improve animal welfare, the RSPCA continues to advocate for industry, retailers and government to implement legal definitions surrounding the use of "free-range" and other terms on products that imply higher animal welfare. RSPCA Approved products are produced according to the aforementioned RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme Standards, and we place a great deal of value in ensuring producers who become part of this scheme work withi us to improve farm animal welfare. We look forward to working with many more producers on this exciting initiative in the future.

For further information and to view an RSPCA Approved Pig Farm please visit www.shophumane.org.au

4 January 2012

Full 2012 duck shooting season to go ahead

RSPCA Victoria has deemed the government’s decision to allow a full duck shooting season to go ahead in 2012 as irresponsible, naive and outdated with community views.

“The decision to go ahead with a duck shooting season in 2012 is biased, self serving and not made based on a balanced argument. Year after year, shooting organisations and clubs are given the opportunity to pledge their case in lengthy consultation periods with the government. No such consultation is afforded to animal welfare organisations or the majority of the community which oppose this barbaric sport” said Dr. Hugh Wirth, President, RSPCA Victoria.

According to a Roy Morgan research poll in 2007, 87% of Victorians stated that they would like to see an end to duck shooting in their backyard. This sentiment is further bolstered by a petition tabled in Parliament in 2010, with over 30,000 signatures opposing recreational duck shooting in Victoria.

“When it comes to duck shooting, the government is just not listening to the community. Aside from the most prominent issue of animal cruelty being blatantly ignored, so is our enlightened society that has also come to the conclusion that duck shooting has had its day.”

Duck shooting seasons have been banned or stopped in all Australian states except Victoria and South Australia due to animal cruelty and declining bird numbers.

12 December 2011

Lenient sentence for puppy factory owner

A magistrate's decision to not punish a puppy farm operator who kept dogs locked in a shed for years to breed is an outrage, says RSPCA Victoria.

Read more via The Age.

28 November 2011

RSPCA national awards recognise 'Good Eggs'

The lives of tens of thousands of hens each year will be better thanks to the RSPCA’s latest Good Egg Award winners.

The RSPCA Good Egg Awards acknowledge major companies that make the switch to cage-free eggs. Our 2011 Victorian Good Egg Award winners are:

Grill’d – Food Service category
The Coffee Club – Food Service category
The Pancake Parlour – Food Service category
Doodles Creek Mayonnaise – Manufacturing category
Da Vinci Foods – Manufacturing category

These companies have shown great leadership in their industry in for their commitment to animal welfare. Combined, the Good Egg award winners use more than 8.2 million cage-free eggs nationally each year. That’s tens of thousands of hens that are living a life, free from confinement, out of a cage, as a direct result of these companies.

The RSPCA is dedicated to driving continuous improvement for farm animals through positive engagement with industry. The RSPCA is proud to partner with Compassion in World Farming to present the Good Egg Awards in Australia.

Please show your support of these companies. Supporting companies such as the Good Egg award winners will help make a difference to achieve higher standards of welfare for hens.

21 November 2011

RSPCA Peninsula currently experiencing phone and computer system outage.

Unfortunately due to a power outage at RSPCA Peninsula in Pearcedale yesterday, Sunday 20 November, we are experiencing a phone line and computer system outage. RSPCA Peninsula is still open today, and we are currently working to rectify the problem ASAP. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience. We hope these problems will be fixed shortly.

7 November 2011

Chocolate the cat is reunited with his family after 7 years!

Chocolate the Ragdoll cat was originally adopted in the UK. Following his long journey to Australia, Chocolate settled in Victoria with his family and fellow pets. Sadly, seven years ago, Chocolate went missing and his loving owners assumed the worst. Little did they know Chocolate was alive and well, living with another family.

In recent weeks, miraculously Chocolate made his way to our Ballarat shelter. Upon his arrival, our Ballarat team scanned his microchip and voila – a microchip registered in the UK appeared! Our tracing team at Ballarat did everything they could to find Chocolate’s original owner. Late night calls to Wales in the UK via Skype, phoning veterinary clinics across the state - following every lead that would possibly help find Chocolate's family.

Amazingly, their efforts were rewarded. Their persistence paid off when our staff managed to locate Chocolate's original owners who now live in Queensland. Thanks to a microchip, Chocolate has been reunited with his loving family and he has once again found his forever home. His microchip details are now updated with his owner’s new address.

Chocolate’s happy ending is a perfect example of why microchipping is just so important! Don’t forget to have your pet’s microchip checked by your local vet to ensure it’s working, keep your pet’s microchip details updated and ensure your pet had ID tags.

We just love happy endings! RSPCA staff and volunteers do everything they can to give our animals a second chance at happiness. To help us reunite more lost pets with their owners, please donate today.

Read more about Chocolate's story in the Herald Sun.

31 October 2011

Indecision on religious slaughter cowardly

The cruel slaughter of 250,000 animals every year will continue in Australia after Primary Industries Ministers shirked a decision that could have removed religious slaughter exemptions.

The RSPCA said the non-decision was completely unacceptable and would dismay the public who were shocked to discover that un-stunned slaughter was occurring in Australia in the first place.

“There is no excuse for delaying this decision. There have been at least two years of consultations and all parties have made their positions clear,” said RSPCA Australia Scientific Officer, Melina Tensen.

“The government knows this is a sensitive issue and their way of dealing with it is to ignore it and hope it goes away. If ministers are indeed insisting on further consultation then the RSPCA is calling for no further exemptions to be provided for religious slaughter while it is being contested.

“These ministers have at hand the overwhelming evidence that cutting the throats of conscious animals is cruel and causes significant pain and suffering. 99% of animals are already stunned in Australia - stunning is accepted by the Islamic community and the Jewish community accepts the stunning of cattle. There is no reason for un-stunned slaughter to continue.”

The RSPCA also slammed the Council’s failure to decide on how long dairy calves destined for slaughter can legally be off feed.

“For two and a half years, primary industries ministers have debated time off feed for dairy (bobby) calves and today’s indecision fails to put in place the most basic protection for these young, vulnerable animals.

“800,000 dairy calves are trucked to slaughter every year and it is inexcusable that we still don’t have a legally enforceable standard to help ensure their welfare.

“Ministers have today failed Australian animals in two critical areas and in doing so they have failed to meet the expectations of the Australian community who expect the decent treatment of animals born into our care.”

27 October 2011

Ministers to rethink un-stunned slaughter exemptions

Primary Industries Ministers will meet in Melbourne tomorrow to consider removing exemptions that currently allow the slaughter of fully conscious animals to meet a small demand for religious slaughter in Australia.

“Contrary to recent claims, stunning is mandatory in Australia. Australian law requires all animals to be stunned unconscious before slaughter and this is the case for 99% of animals killed in Australia every year,” said RSPCA Australia Scientific Officer Melina Tensen.

“That’s because our law recognises that cutting the throat of a conscious animal is cruel and results in a painful, distressing and prolonged death. All available scientific evidence backs this up.

“There are a small number of abattoirs however (in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales) that have obtained exemptions to this law, allowing them to kill animals (mostly sheep) without stunning them. This satisfies a small demand for Kosher and some Halal meat.

“The slaughter of conscious animals is completely unnecessary in Australia. Stunning is widely accepted by Islamic authorities and Jewish authorities accept the stunning of cattle.

“There is no reason why 250,000 sheep every year should continue to suffer through the pain and distress of dying while fully conscious when 99% of their counterparts are shielded from this horror.

“Primary industries and agriculture ministers from around the country will meet tomorrow to consider removing these exemptions.

“Our information is that there is widespread support within most states to remove all religious slaughter exemptions however pressure from New South Wales and Victoria could force a decision to allow un-stunned slaughter to continue.

“The RSPCA is appealing to those two states to look at the science, consider the widespread acceptance of stunning by religious authorities and represent the views of Australians who now, after witnessing the reality of un-stunned slaughter, have overwhelmingly rejected it.”

24 October 2011

Victorian Government announces new puppy factory legislation

The Victorian Coalition Government has introduced tough new laws in a bid to crackdown on the puppy factory industry. New legislation introduced includes stricter penalties and large fines for cruelty and equips the RSPCA with new policing and confiscation powers. New laws also allow for seizing profits and assets of illegal puppy factories and the establishment of a $1.6 million Animal Welfare Fund designed to assist organisations that provide care and treatment for animals rescued from puppy factories. In addition, it will now also be illegal to sell or advertise the sale of puppies without a microchip identification number or notice.

The Coalition Government’s crackdown includes:

an increase in maximum penalties for puppy factories operating illegally, from $1,195 to $20,000;
penalties of up to $30,000 for rogue operators that breach a Code of Practice;
a ban on owning animals, of up to 10 years, for those found guilty of operating unregistered puppy factories or breaching a code of conduct;
the introduction of a new offence for breeding establishments that fail to provide a microchip number (or council domestic animal business registration number) in an advertisement for a dog or cat; and the potential seizure of profits, assets and property of illegal puppy factory operators.

The RSPCA commends the Government on introducing these laws which will go a long way in helping to protect dogs in puppy factories. The RSPCA would also like to thank everyone that has supported our Close Puppy Factories campaign to help influence this positive change.

More change is still needed to close puppy factories and the RSPCA will continue its campaign by focusing on the sales channels breeders use, and continuing to create awareness about this unscrupulous industry.

21 October 2011

Live Export review a missed opportunity

The RSPCA is profoundly disappointed that one of the cruellest aspects of live export – un-stunned slaughter – can continue.

The independent review into live export, conducted by Bill Farmer, has failed to address the necessity of stunning animals unconscious prior to slaughter.

“This review was an opportunity to properly protect animals at the point of slaughter but instead there is no recommendation on stunning and the government has made no commitment to require it,” RSPCA Australia CEO Heather Neil said.

“The fact that the number of Australian cattle that will be stunned in Indonesia is expected to grow from 8% to around 90% in just six months shows that it’s entirely possible to overcome any perceived barriers when the incentive is there and that markets can respond quickly if the supply of Australian animals depends on it.

“The Government needs to make it clear to the export industries that if they don’t announce targets for stunning, by country, and act themselves, they will make it a requirement.”

Ultimately it is incredibly disappointing that this review did not investigate options to phase out the trade.

“The cruelty exposed in Indonesia was the last straw for many Australians who have run out of patience – the public overwhelmingly does not support live export.

“With our meat exports worth six times more than live exports there is a strong economic case for reform and planning to move away from the live trade would better position producers for the future.”

The RSPCA however welcomed the very positive step towards full traceability of all exported animals through a controlled supply chain.

“This is something welfare groups have been pushing for a number of years because while ever private sale is allowed there is no way to set standards for the treatment of Australian livestock.

“While it’s unacceptable that it has again taken the industry being under threat to see proper protections put in place, we are pleased this is finally occurring.

“It is important to not to lose sight of the scale of the suffering that has led to this point. 6.4 million cattle have been exported to Indonesia over the past 18 years, 160 million animals to all markets since the live trade began.

“It is unforgivable that it is only through animal welfare groups being prepared to act as live export watchdogs has this industry been brought to account.”

13 September 2011

RSPCA Warrnambool closed today, Tuesday 13 September

Unfortunately someone broke into our Warrnambool Shelter overnight and we will need to remain closed whilst Police investigate and the RSPCA clean up and return the Shelter to normal. Adoption will be open again Wednesday 14 September.

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