NSW Animal Welfare Reform - Discussion Paper

NSW ANIMAL WELFARE REFORM - DISCUSSION PAPER

The Animal Welfare Reform – Discussion Paper (Discussion Paper) is now open for public consultation and it marks an important step towards implementing up-to-date animal welfare laws.

Of interest is that squid are now proposed to be included as an 'animal' as defined by the act. A quote from is:

“There is considerable scientific evidence that cephalopods have the physiological capacity to experience pain. While the situation with crustaceans is possibly more open to scientific debate, our understanding of consciousness and pain perception is rapidly evolving and this should be taken into account when framing new animal welfare legislation.”

It also states:

"To ensure that the lawful activity of fishing is not unintentionally affected by this change, we will also introduce a provision that clarifies that using a live fish, cephalopod or decapod crustacean as bait is not an offence"

The Discussion Paper is based on the feedback of more than 1,100 stakeholders who had their say in the first round of public consultation.