Thursday, 20 June 2024

Animal welfare

David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:57): (983) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister of Agriculture. I had the pleasure of meeting with Adam recently, the president of the Victorian Herpetological Society. For the benefit of my colleagues who may not be aware, herpetology is the name for the scientific study of amphibians and reptiles. The Victorian Herpetological Society has existed since the mid-1970s to bring together reptile enthusiasts and provide support and advocacy for private reptile keepers. Just over a decade ago they were considered a key stakeholder when drafting new wildlife regulations as part of the now disbanded Wildlife Possession Trade Advisory Committee. This committee has since been disbanded, and it may be that the lack of its input has led to some poor enforcement practices as the department may not be receiving adequate feedback from the community.

Whilst there may be other issues, the main concern that Adam brought to my attention was the enforcement of the current Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Private Keeping of Reptiles. This code of practice is more than 20 years old, and the information contained within it is no longer accurate. Apparently there has been increasing enforcement around section 3, relating to enclosure sizes. These outline very specific dimensions required for keeping lizards and snakes and other animals. There are multiple concerns here. One is that there may be a conflict between section 1 and point 1 under the general requirements, which state that the welfare of captive animals must always be viewed as a high priority in order to safeguard them from disease, injury and stress. In one circumstance it was described to me that it was stated that:

The animals were in excellent condition, looking healthy and well cared for, but the dimensions of the enclosure did not perfectly match the code. This is despite the overall area being larger.

Another concern is that overly restrictive enforcement where there is no indication of maltreatment of the animals may lead to people dumping animals. There is also concern that proposed updates to these regulations may fail to appropriately understand the practical limitations for private reptile keepers.

My request for the minister is to review current enforcement activities and urgently update the code of practice and in doing so to also meet with representatives from the Victorian Herpetological Society to ensure that regulations are fit for purpose.