Australian Animal Welfare Strategy to be renewed

Debate has begun on a renewed national animal welfare strategy, as a second state considers introducing laws to recognise animal sentience.

A lamb being mulesed.

Recognition of animal sentience will likely be a flashpoint as debate begins over a new national animal welfare strategy.

Consultation on the federal government’s renewed Australian Animal Welfare Strategy – the first of its kind in a decade – opened on Friday, as the nation’s agricultural ministers also agreed to work on a national statement on animal welfare.

It comes as Victoria continues to consider new laws that would recognise animal sentience in legislation. South Australia is also preparing to introduce laws recognising animal sentience.

Victorian Farmers Federation egg group president Brian Ahmed said farmers were not opposed to embracing new animal welfare standards, such as those currently under debate in Victoria, “as long as they’re backed by science”.

VFF egg group president Brian Ahmed on his egg farm in Werribee.

“The trouble is some of the things they are proposing are grey,” he said.

“I don’t disagree with sentience, but who’s to say what they’re feeling or aren’t. We’re putting people’s emotions into what an animal may need or feel.”

Australian Alliance for Animals policy director Jed Goodfellow said animal sentience should “absolutely” be acknowledged in the renewed national strategy.

“We would expect and hope it is recognised as a foundational principle,” he said.

“It was in the previous strategy. It shouldn’t be a controversial thing and ethically it’s very clear sentience of animals is the reason why human beings take into account the interests of animals.”

Australian Alliance for Animals policy director Jed Goodfellow.

The previous national strategy lapsed in 2014, during the Abbott government. Labor took its commitment to renew the strategy to the last two elections.

Despite this commitment, the new strategy will not be published until mid-2027. Mr Ahmed welcomed the long time frame as giving farmers a chance to prepare and make any required changes.

Mr Goodfellow said the time frame was “somewhat disappointing” and called for funding to be made available to implement parts of the strategy prior to 2027.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt did not respond to questions from The Weekly Times, including whether the new strategy would recognise animal sentience, by deadline.

When asked in a Senate estimates hearing in November last year if there were plans to recognise animal sentience in federal law, Mr Watt said: “Not at this point … It’s actually not something that I’ve discussed directly with the department, so not at this point.”

Animal welfare legislation in Australia is in the hands of state and territory governments, with the federal government only having jurisdiction over live animal exports.

The national strategy and any standards associated with it, would provide an agreed framework for states to work to.

The strategy will be split into six parts: livestock and production animals, aquatic animals, animals in the wild (native, introduced and feral animals), companion animals, animals used for work, sport and recreation, and animals used in research and teaching.