Animal Law News
Egyptian cattle freeze
The owner of a shipment of Australian cattle that has been held from slaughter in Egypt due to the presence of hormone growth promotants (HGPs) says the issue should be relatively straight-forward to solve - provided the Australian Government can work quickly to assure its Egyptian counterparts that HGPs pose no risk to human health.
Cross-bred snakes euthanased (Australia)
Twenty snakes have been euthanased after they were found to be a hybrid of two native species.Environment officials in Adelaide say the snakes were advertised for sale by a licensed breeder and were found to be a cross between Bredi pythons and coastal carpet pythons.
New horse code of practice (Australia) demonstrates evolving consideration to animal welfare
The Victorian Coalition Government is strengthening horse welfare standards by introducing a new code of practice to provide greater guidance on the standard of care expected of owners. The move demonstrates that animal welfare standards are being actively reconsidered and evolving. The updated code is intended as a tool for horse owners and has been developed following extensive consultation with the equine industry, the government's Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, and the RSPCA.
Cloned horses no longer banned from competing internationally (FEI)
A decision by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) to ban cloned horses from international competition has been reversed. FEI previously said cloned animals would be banned from international competition and that cloning went "against its objective," to enable FEI athletes to compete in international events under fair and even conditions.Many in the industry reportedly felt FEI's stance was not enforceable on the grounds that many of the world's greatest competition horses were not DNA tested.
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New biosecurity legislation (Australia)
The Australian Government is developing new legislation to replace the century-old Quarantine Act 1908 to create a responsive and flexible operating environment. The new legislation is a cornerstone of Australian reforms and the implementation of a risk based approach to biosecurity management. The new legislation is designed to enable Australia to better manage the risks of animal and plant pests and diseases entering, establishing, spreading in Australia and potentially causing harm to people, the environment and the economy.
The new legislation is...more >>
Challenges to implementing animal welfare standards in New Zealand
Abstract:
The New Zealand Animal Welfare Act 1999 imposes a duty of care on all owners and persons in charge, to provide for the physical, health and behavioural needs of the animals in their care. The Act provides for the development of codes of welfare by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) and gives legal status to the minimum standards that they contain when issued by the Minister of Agriculture. Codes are used to promote appropriate behaviour, establish minimum standards of animal care and encourage best practice by those in charge of animals...more >>
'Organ chips' to replace animal experiments
A £45 million research project could see future generations of drugs tested on "organ chips" that mimic different parts of the human body. As well as improving and speeding up drug development, the initiative is touted as providing a viable alternative to experimentation currently conducted on animals. One goal of the US programme is to simulate a whole human body by linking together 10 different organ chips. Each "organ" would theoretically be about the size of a computer memory stick.
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