Puppy farms outlawed in Victoria

VICTORIA has banned the controversial practice, limiting the number of dogs that breeders are allowed to keep.

DOG lovers are celebrating after Victoria became the first state in Australia to ban the “cruel” practice of puppy farming.

The number of dogs that breeders are allowed to keep will be limited after a bill, championed by welfare group Oscar’s Law, passed on Friday in a tight Upper House vote.

“It’s the end of the days where we see literally hundreds of dogs lined up in sheds, pumping out puppies for the pet market,” Oscar’s Law founder Debra Tranter told reporters in Melbourne.

The amended bill was introduced following a parliamentary inquiry and feedback from the public, veterinary groups, animal welfare organisations, rescue organisations, local councils, dog and cat breeders, pet shops and representative groups.

The bill will stamp out puppy farms, reform pet shops in Victoria and improve traceability of online sales of cats and dogs.

Under the new legislation, the number of fertile females dogs that a breeder can own and register with their local council will be capped at 10.

Only those meeting additional requirements will be approved by the Minister for Agriculture to keep an absolute maximum of 50 fertile female dogs.

Animal rights activists have welcomed the move. Source: iStock.

Breeding members of cat or dog applicable organisations, such as Dogs Victoria, with 10 or less breeding females will be recognised as recreational breeders and can continue to abide by their organisation’s Code of Ethics (or equivalent).

A spokesman for the state’s Labor government said: “Illegal breeders will have nowhere to hide and will no longer be able to funnel puppies and kittens through pet shops to unsuspecting members of the public.”

As of July 1, 2018, pet shops will only be able to sell from approved sources (shelters, pounds or voluntarily registered foster carers) and there will be no more puppies in pet shop windows.

Traceability of cats and dogs will be improved significantly through the establishment of the Pet Exchange Register. Breeders, foster carers and members of the public advertising a cat or dog will enrol on the register.

RSPCA chief executive Liz Walker welcomed the changes.

“Right now, we can’t account for where up to 70 per cent of the puppies born in Victoria every year have been bred — that’s around 60,000 puppies a year,” she told the Herald Sun.

“If we don’t know where a kitten or pup was bred, we can’t know what conditions they have been living in, it might be perfect or horrifically cruel.”