4 Simple Reasons Why
There are so many reasons why the Animals Bill is necessary in NSW. Ranging from consumer rights, to protecting the environment, this proposed legislation is the first step to solving many issues important to the community.
Here are just 4 simple reasons why:
1. Consumer Rights: Regulating the pet industry will create a standard of practise to protect consumers and hold the industry accountable. At the moment the pet industry is making revenue at any cost, and everyday Australian’s are paying the price. The Animals bill will ensure people can adopt pets freely, with the security of knowing they will not encounter problems.
2. Saving community resources: The Animals Bill will save resources spent managing unwanted or nuisance animals. This includes catching and impounding strays, investigating noise and environmental pollution, and neighbourhood disputes arrising from irresponsible pet owners. Many of these problems result from backyard breeding and impulsive pet shop purchases which the bill is committed to stopping.
3. Animal Welfare: It’s commonsense that if animals are rehomed responsibly, the number of animals abandoned will decrease. If customers are informed of the animals’ ongoing care and costs, they will be prepared for owning an animal. In addition, if animals are rehomed desexed then customers will not have to worry about finding homes for puppies or kittens, that sadly end up in pounds. But it is not just what happens to the animal post-sale which causes concern, its where the animals sold in pet shops are sourced from, and their treatment while in the pet shop.
4. Protecting the environment: Abandoned cats often feed into populations of unowned cats. Without intervention these cats will have litter after litter, and the ensuing generations can become feral. Stray and feral cats impact vulnerable wildlife through predation. Pet shops and backyard breeders are the number one source of non-desexed animals in NSW. This combined with their policy to encourage impulsive purchases makes it more likely that people will dump animals sold from these places. Through helping people make informed choises and regulating the pet industry, the Animals Bill will in turn help protect our environment.
