Puppy farms to be banned in new law set to be introduced by Premier Chris Minns

Mass production puppy farms, where sometimes hundreds of dogs are kept in cages and bred dozens of times, will soon be banned in new legislation to be introduced by the Minns government today.

Labrador puppies from a reputable breeder, the NSW government is introducing legislation banning unregistered puppy farms and setting breeding caps on the number of dogs and how often they can breed. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Mass production puppy farms, where sometimes hundreds of dogs are kept in cages and bred dozens of times, will soon be banned in new legislation to be introduced by the Minns government today.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that under the new proposal all breeders must now be registered and follow strict new rules over how many dogs can be bred. Currently in NSW there are no restrictions on how many dogs can be in a breeding farm and how many litters they can be forced to have, including no limits on how many times a dog can be cut up in a caesarean.

There is also no compulsory breeder registration scheme, which has allowed some dodgy breeders to keep animals in horrific conditions, greatly impacting the health of the puppies they sell at a massive profit.

Puppies from a puppy farm flagged by the RSPCA, living in their own excrement. Picture: Supplied by the Animal Welfare League NSW

Under the new laws all breeders who wish to sell dogs must register with the NSW pet registry and may only have a maximum of five litters in their lifetimes, with dogs requiring Caesareans allowed only three.

Breeders will only be allowed to have less than 20 fertile female dogs at one location, with one staff member required to be on site for every 20 adult dogs.

A puppy farm in North West Sydney where the puppies were kept in tiny cages. Picture: Supplied by the Animal Welfare League NSW

Big breeding operations with more than 20 female dogs are entitled to apply for an exemption that will last for 10 years, in which time they will be expected to scale down their operations.

Under the new rules breeders who break the law will now face up to two years in prison and a $110,000 fine, with organisations facing a $550,000 fine.

Under the new rules breeders who break the law will now face up to two years in prison and a $110,000 fine, with organisations facing a $550,000 fine. Picture: Supplied by the Animal Welfare League NSW

In a submission to the NSW government in consultation for the new bill, the RSPCA noted that of the 142 breeder inspections it conducted in 2022, seven breeders had more than 50 fertile females on the premises, with two having over 80 females and another two over 100. The RSPCA submission also noted instances where entire puppy litter were dumped on the doorsteps of vet clinics.

Puppy farms where animals are kept in filthy environments. . Picture: Supplied by the Animal Welfare League NSW

Other submissions found some breeders of designer dogs with big heads such as French and English bulldogs and pugs conducted all their births by caesarean, with no restrictions on how many times the surgeries were conducted. Other noted cases of unethical breeders selling puppies “out of the boot of a car”.

Labrador puppies from a reputable breeder, the NSW government is introducing legislation banning unregistered puppy farms and setting breeding caps on the number of dogs and how often they can breed. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the new legislation was about stopping bad actors within the industry while supporting good breeders.

“Most breeders do the right thing, but there is a clear message from the community that large-scale, unregulated breeding practices are not acceptable, and breeders should be registered,” she said.

Animal Welfare League NSW chief executive Stephen Albin agreed it was time to end unregulated puppy farming saying their animal shelters had been overflowing with 750,000 new dogs over five years.

“Our inspectors will tell you that most of our surrenders are the result of backyard breeders in Western Sydney,” he said.

“We only see the ones that are alive and some of them are not in great shape – they are undernourished or found tethered to clotheslines.”

Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst will support the bill but will looking amend sections of it, including shortening the length of the 10 year exemption for big breeders and increasing staffing ratios.

“Puppy farming has remained legal in NSW for far too long,” she said.

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Originally published as Puppy farms to be banned in new law set to be introduced by Premier Chris Minns