Victorian dog deaths: Pet food regulation changes to be given to governments

Years after an inquiry, changes to ensure pet food safety appear to be close – as a Victorian investigation continues into deadly pet meat.

Maggie is among more than 60 dogs who have fallen seriously ill after eating contaminated pet meat in Victoria.

A report on how Australia can better regulate pet food will be handed down next month, more than two and a half years after a working group was established for the task.

It comes after an investigation revealed last week pet meat from a Gippsland knackery was linked to a severe liver disease which has affected at least 61 dogs in Victoria, including 21 who have died.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud established the pet food working group following a Senate inquiry in late 2018 to propose regulatory and non-regulatory changes to improve the safety of pet food manufacturing.

When questioned about the review by The Weekly Times in August last year, Mr Littleproud said recommendations were planned to be presented to all state and territory governments “later this year”. However, that did not happen.

The Department of Agriculture this week told The Weekly Times the working group would provide its final report to senior agriculture officials next month.

“The report will then be considered by state and territory agriculture ministers who will decide on the best way forward to ensure the health and safety of pet food in Australia,” a spokeswoman said.

Victorian Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, who hasn’t seen any outcomes from the working group, said she wanted to see a nationally consistent approach in regulation.

“We are eagerly awaiting the findings of the working group established by the Commonwealth,” she said.

PrimeSafe is leading an investigation into operations at Gippsland’s Maffra District Knackery, which was last week revealed by authorities to be the source of contaminated pet meat that affected more than 60 dogs.

Indospicine was the cause of liver failure in the cluster of dogs – a toxin found across Australia in native plants of the Indigofera species.

Indospicine can build up in the tissue of some grazing animals when they continue to eat the plants. Indospicine toxicity has not previously been reported in Victoria.

Any regulatory action by PrimeSafe – Victoria’s meat, poultry, seafood and pet meat regulator – will depend on whether there have been any breaches of the Meat Industry Act or the Australian Standard for the Hygienic Production of Pet Meat.

Pet food with less than 66 per cent meat or that is prepackaged for sale is exempt from the Act and Standard.

“At this stage PrimeSafe has not identified noncompliance by licensed facilities with the Act or Standard that would indicate Indospicine contamination of pet meat,” a PrimeSafe spokeswoman said on Monday.

In a Facebook post last week, the Maffra Knackery said it was “devastated” to hear the findings of the investigation and had worked openly with authorities, but would have their scientists review the authorities’ data to ensure the findings were correct.

Agriculture Victoria is providing specialist expertise and access to diagnostic laboratories to support Primesafe’s investigation and local veterinary practices.

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