BENJAMIN PREISS: ‘Animal cruelty laws in Victoria will soon recognise for the first time that animals suffer pain and fear. The state government’s first animal welfare strategy has revealed plans for a major shake-up to protect animals in domestic, agricultural and natural settings. New laws, to be drafted in 2018, will allow for earlier intervention to prevent animal cruelty and better reflect modern community expectations of their treatment… In recent years shocking incidents have emerged including the discovery of 22 horses that died of starvation on trainer Bruce Akers’ Bulla property in 2016.
The government’s Animal Welfare Action Plan says new laws covering society’s obligation to animals “in all environments, and for all purposes” are required. “Society now expects that the law should do more to set the responsibilities that humans have towards animals to better protect them from harm, enable earlier intervention and to better provide for their welfare,” the document said. It said a new act of parliament would be developed to safeguard animal welfare and “provide for timely avenues to address non-compliance” in instances of cruelty’. SOURCE…
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