The fur is flying between the peak body for dog breeders and minor parties over plans to rein in puppy farms.
NSW upper house MP Emma Hurst has hit out at the state’s peak body for dog breeders after they encouraged pet owners not to vote for the Animal Justice Party or the Greens.
Bernese Mountain dog puppies in Marayla, Sydney. Dog breeders are calling on voters “to preserve the future of dog ownership” at the 2023 state election.Credit: Ben Symons
Dogs NSW on Thursday said the policy platforms of both parties would create a scarcity of puppies, drive up prices and foster black market trading of pets.
“This is the time for NSW locals to make a choice and beware of the political parties such as the Greens and animal rights groups whose policies don’t support Australian dog owners,” said president Lyn Brand.
The peak body group is particularly concerned about the Companion Animals Amendment Bill which Hurst introduced to the Legislative Council last year, but is yet to pass through the Lower House. They say the bill’s passage would lead to the mandatory de-sexing of male dogs over 6 years old and the banning of short-nosed breeds such as French bulldogs, boxers and pugs.
Hurst, who represents the Animal Justice Party in the NSW upper house, said the claims were “absolute nonsense”.
“There are just way too many animals than there are homes [in NSW], and it’s gotten worse since the COVID pandemic.”
Emma Hurst, Animal Justice Party MLC
“I’m quite disgusted that an organisation that is quite reputable would come out in support of the puppy farming industry,” she said. “What my bill does is outlaws the intensive factory farming of dogs for a pet trade industry.”
The bill would limit commercial breeders to having 50 fertile female dogs at any one time. Hurst said her legislation was closely modelled on legislation in Victoria, where there was no evidence of regulation leading to higher prices and ethical breeding practices had improved.
She dismissed the claim by Dogs NSW that the party’s policies would lead to a scarcity of puppies, saying there was already a huge oversupply of dogs in overwhelmed pounds and shelters across the state.
“There are just way too many animals than there are homes [in NSW], and it’s gotten worse since the COVID pandemic puppy buying spree,” she said. “What we want to ensure is that we’re reducing the number of animal unwanted animals that are ending up being killed in pounds and the cruelty that occurs on these enormous farms.”
Brand said Dogs NSW did not support puppy farming but AJP and Greens animal welfare policies were not going to deter them, “rather encourage them and make dog ownership that much harder for families in NSW”.
The Greens, who were also criticised by Dogs NSW, stood by their policies on animal welfare.
“Dogs are pets not products, and that means making sensible amendments to the law to outlaw exploitative breeding designed to maximise profits rather than prioritise welfare,” Greens MP and animal welfare spokesperson Abigail Boyd said.
The latest statistics show 8800 dogs and cats were euthanised in NSW council pounds in 2020-21, of which less than 800 were euthanised because they were unable to be rehomed. That is a sharp reduction from 2012-13, when more than 5000 pets were euthanised who were suitable but unable to be rehomed.
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