The rush to buy a furry friend during the coronavirus pandemic, especially during lockdown, has seen a surge in what the NSW Government has called "unscrupulous" breeders taking advantage of both buyers and animals.
Key points:
- The NSW Agriculture Minister says demand for pets during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in illegal puppy farms being set up
- He will introduce legislation which would increase penalties for animal cruelty offences
- RSPCA NSW chief executive Steve Coleman has welcomed the proposed changes
NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall has announced a raft of new measures to be put before State Parliament this week, in a bid to get new laws and increased penalties against animal cruelty in place by early next year.
"I will be introducing laws into the State Parliament this week to increase eight-fold the penalties for animal cruelty offences in NSW.
"It has been nearly 20 years since these penalties and offences were last reviewed. NSW's penalty regime is currently among the lowest in Australia."
Mr Marshall said a new offence will also be introduced.
"The courts will be given the ability to ban an individual from ever caring for, owning or breeding any type of animal anywhere in NSW for people who commit the most heinous acts of animal cruelty or simply repeat offenders who do not get the message," Mr Marshall said.
Proposed increased penalties
- Cruelty — fine increased from $5,500 to $44,000 and/or 12 months' imprisonment for individuals and $220,000 for corporations for each individual act of cruelty.
- Aggravated cruelty — fine increased from $22,000 to $110,000 and/or two years' imprisonment for individuals and $550,000 for corporations for each individual act.
- Fail to provide shelter — fine increased from $5,500 to $16,500 and/or six months' imprisonment for individuals and $82,500 for corporations for each individual act.
The Minister said the pandemic had seen a spate of illegal puppy farms being set up.
"We have probably seen over the course of COVID-19 a nearly doubling of complaints, reports and raids on a number of facilities across the state, and what is driving that is the economics of companion animal breeding," he said.
Deterrence is key
RSPCA NSW chief executive Steve Coleman has welcomed the proposed changes, especially with the coronavirus pandemic driving up demand for pets.
"On some occasions people are handing over two, three, four or $5,000 and sometimes more to purchase a puppy," Mr Coleman said.
"When we knock on the door of an unscrupulous breeder and when we are able to take them to court and they are convicted it is only proper that the penalty dished out is proportionate to what sort of sums of money these illegal breeders are earning."
Mr Coleman said regulators, including the RSPCA, have come across some horrific examples of cruelty.
"We come across animals that have literally starved to death, we have come across animals that have not been given the appropriate veterinary treatment to save them and they have died," he said.
"With this increase in penalties it means the spectrum of punishment a court will be able to provide is much greater — it is the right thing to do, it is the right thing for the animals.
"We would absolutely beg for all parliamentarians to get behind these increases in penalties."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTExLTA4L25zdy1hbmltYWwtY3J1ZWx0eS1sYXdzLXBldC1kZW1hbmQtaW5jcmVhc2VzLWluLWNvdmlkLTE5LzEyODYwNjA40gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyODYwNjA4?oc=5
2020-11-07 20:41:00Z
CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTExLTA4L25zdy1hbmltYWwtY3J1ZWx0eS1sYXdzLXBldC1kZW1hbmQtaW5jcmVhc2VzLWluLWNvdmlkLTE5LzEyODYwNjA40gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEyODYwNjA4
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