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Committee Members
Sam Gunn
Bob Barwell
Chris (Butch) Davidson
Peter Dixon-Hughes
Andrew Gow
Hamish Munro
Derek Schoen
Terry Toohey

NSW Farmers'
Association Staff
E nswfarmers@
nswfarmers.org.au

P 02 8251 1700
F 02 8251 1750

Member Service
Centre
1300 794 000

Animal Welfare

The Cattle Committee continues to represent Members on Animal Welfare issues by working with Meat & Livestock Australia and through the Cattle Council of Australia. The Committee is well aware of the responsibilities that cattle producers have for the welfare of their animals and acknowledge that increasing consumer awareness is placing pressure on industry to improve welfare standards. The Committee is actively involved in the development of the Standards and Guidelines for Cattle

The welfare of animals in NSW, including livestock, is protected under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (POCTA) and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulation 2006. Section 24 of the Regulation lists the guidelines for the husbandry of farmed animals. These are detailed under national Model Codes of Practice (MCoP) for the welfare of livestock.

The Committee’s key objective for animal welfare is to:

• Have input into the Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle 

Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle

As part of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, Animal Health Australia was commissioned to facilitate the development of nationally consistent standards and guidelines for livestock. These welfare standards and guidelines are based on the revision of the current Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Animals. The Cattle Standards and Guidelines are currently in the development process.

The Standards will be the legal requirements for livestock welfare and will use the word ‘must’. The standards will provide the basis for developing and implementing consistent legislation and enforcement across Australia. The guidelines are the recommended practices to achieve desirable livestock welfare outcomes.

At the 2009 NSW Farmers Association Annual Conference, a motion was passed to establish a Taskforce to review the Standards and Guidelines for cattle and sheep. The taskforce has reviewed the draft Cattle Standards and Guidelines.

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