It’s been another busy year working for the health and welfare of animals across NSW. The NSW Government continues to work towards the commitment to introduce a new animal welfare framework that includes:

• Reviewing the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979
• Banning puppy farms in NSW
• Creating an independent office of animal welfare
• Reviewing the funding arrangements for Approved Charitable Organisations legislated to conduct compliance and enforcement activities under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979

Introducing a ‘fit and proper person’ regime that will prevent people convicted of an aggravated animal cruelty offence, multiple animal cruelty offences or repeat animal cruelty offences from being involved in the keeping and breeding of companion animals.

2024 Legislation Changes

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Puppy Farming) Act 2024

On 21 November 2024, new laws came into effect to strengthen puppy and dog welfare across the state by implementing a range of measures to ban puppy farming. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Puppy Farming) Act 2024 has introduced a robust regulatory system for dog breeders to deliver good animal welfare.

The changes apply to all breeders across NSW, whether they are breeding intentionally or by accident. They improve the identification and accountability of dog breeding activities by mandating compliance with minimum standards to strengthen animal welfare outcomes.

The key changes include: -

• Mandatory breeder identification numbers obtained through the NSW Pet Registry enabling transparency of the sector and assisting people acquiring a puppy;
• Maximum number of 20 female adult dogs (those over 6 months old) on a dog premises with a maximum penalty for individuals of $110,000, two years imprisonment or both and $550,000 for organisations will apply for breaches of this cap;
• Enable current breeders with more than 20 female adult dogs the ability to apply for a limited exemption from this cap so they can scale down their existing operations;
• Lifetime breeding limits for female dogs of five litters in total or up to three caesarean litters, whichever occurs first;
• Establishing a standard of care of one staff carer for every 20 dogs over 12 weeks to ensure that sufficient care, food and water are provided;
• Strengthened advertising requirements for the sale or transfer of dogs;
• Mandatory compliance with the code of practice for all persons breeding dogs from 2029.

The majority of the changes will come into effect on 1 December 2025, allowing time for the Government to rollout an education campaign for breeders, dog owners and those considering acquiring a puppy.

For further information on the Act and the changes introduced, please visit: Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Puppy Farming) Bill 2024 for additional information please visit Animal care and welfare

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act Amendment – Transparency and Fit and Proper Persons

The legislation was passed by Parliament on 7 August 2024. The Act amended the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (POCTAA) to increase transparency in Approved Charitable Organisation (ACO) enforcement activities and to strengthen animal welfare protections by expanding the fit and proper person regime currently legislated under POCTAA.

For further information on the Amendment please visit our website at:
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Transparency and Fit and Proper Persons) Act 2024

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations Stage Repeal – Have your say

The NSW Government is seeking your feedback on draft changes to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulation 2012 (the POCTA Regulation). These changes are included in the draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulation 2025 (the draft Regulation) that will replace the POCTA Regulation on 1 February 2025.

Key amendments in the draft Regulation 2025 include:

• Revising the circumstances with which certain procedures can be carried out on animals such as declawing of cats, debarking of dogs and tail docking of cattle under 6 months of age.
• Prohibiting the use of glue traps for the purpose of catching animals but will still be allowed for use on insects.
• Improving the enforcement options by allowing the use of penalty notices for additional offences and increasing the existing penalty notice amounts for a range of offences.
• Implementing key changes from the Poultry Standards and Guidelines for laying fowl to build upon existing layer fowl regulations.

For a full summary of proposed amendments, refer to Section 5 (Table 3) of the Regulatory Impact Statement.

Tell us what you think

We want you to have your say on the draft amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulation. Prior to providing feedback, respondents are to review the following documentation:

• Regulatory Impact Statement (includes a summary and analysis of draft regulatory amendments)
• Draft Regulation
• DPIRD privacy policy

The consultation period will close at 11:59 pm on Thursday 19 December 2024. Any submissions received after this time will not be considered.

How to provide feedback

You can provide your feedback via email to pocta.reg@dpird.nsw.gov.au.

Animal Research webinar – Pain Management for Animals in Research

This was the third of three animal research educational webinars in the 2024 series, hosted  by Animal Research Review Panel in partnership with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

Webinar series | Department of Primary Industries (nsw.gov.au)

Pain Management Webinar Presentations:

• Dr Innes Wise: Large animal pain management
• Dr Rebecca Johnson: “Pawsitive" approaches to laboratory animal analgesia
• Dr Michael Grima: Experimental conditions and analgesia in experimental fish models predominantly as it relates to zebrafish

Previous Animal Research Review Panel webinars and seminars are available for viewing on the Animal Ethics Infolink website

Tough Times

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has been busy updating and developing a number of livestock welfare resources which are available to view on the Animal Welfare website here.

Of particular note is a collection of resources developed to assist livestock owners to make wise and timely decisions when feed and water are in short supply. 

The most common situation when such issues arise is during dry times, or drought. However, periods following fire and flood can also involve these problems, as can other seasonal anomalies.   

In addition, these resources include reminders of obligations stock owners do have regarding the welfare of their animals. 

If you would like to order hard copies of these resources, and others, please go to Livestock Welfare Resources order form

Plan for animals in Emergencies

Animals play an important role in many people’s lives and the human- animal bond has been shown to strongly influence human behaviour in emergencies. The latest handbook in the collection from the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, Planning for animals, is guided by research evidence that shows that integrating animals into emergency management planning and arrangements is critical to human health and safety.

People will often put their own lives at risk to protect or save animals during an emergency, including ignoring warnings or refusing to evacuate. The traumatic loss of animals can significantly impact human recovery following an emergency.

The handbook is designed for all animal owners and emergency management stakeholders. It provides trusted, nationally agreed principles that should be considered when planning for animals before, during and after emergencies.

Captive Snake Welfare - Caring for Pet Snakes

A new webpage with information and resources on caring for captive snakes has been published on the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Developments website.

The information draws from recent publications that discuss the overall welfare of captive snakes and how to meet their unique needs. The resources provide insight and guidance to people that care for snakes to ensure they can apply the latest welfare practices.  

Check out the webpage HERE 

Download a copy of the Factsheet HERE

I would like to wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday break with your family, friends and animals from the NSW DPIRD Animal Welfare Team. We look forward to working with you in 2025.

Dr Kim Filmer
Chief Animal Welfare Officer
NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development