The Australian Model Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Animals are a guide for people involved in livestock production, handling, transport and slaughter. The Model Codes recommend minimum animal welfare standards as well as providing advice on best practice in the care of livestock species.

In 2005, a review of the effectiveness and development of Model Codes (the Neumann Report) recommended that existing Model Codes be rewritten in a new format consisting of standards and industry guidelines, with the standards being incorporated into nationally consistent legislation. This is a significant improvement over the Model Codes’ current non-mandatory status. Over the coming years, we hope to see all the old Model Codes converted into Standards & Guidelines with enforceable minimum standards.

The first Australian Standards and Guidelines for the Welfare of Animals to be developed according to this new format relate to the land transport of livestock (see land transport standards for more information). These Standards & Guidelines were developed by a stakeholder group consisting of government animal welfare officers, representatives of producers and animal welfare organisations, as well as scientists and veterinarians. The stakeholder group represents a wide range of views on the issues covered by the Standards & Guidelines and the process involves detailed discussion of these issues. Not surprisingly, the draft Standards & Guidelines produced by the stakeholder group usually represents a compromise between the differing views held. Management of the development process and coordination of the stakeholder group is done by Animal Health Australia (AHA).

Once a draft Standards & Guidelines document has been developed it is then put out for public consultation. The public consultation period usually lasts 60 days. Anyone is entitled to comment on the draft and all comments are considered when finalising the draft.

When the stakeholder group has considered the public comments and produced a final document, the Standards & Guidelines are then sent to the Primary Industries Standing Committee (PISC). The PISC is made up of representatives from the State, Territory and Australian Government departments of agriculture or primary industries. If the PISC approves the Standards & Guidelines, the document then goes to the Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC) for endorsement. The PIMC is made up of the Ministers for agriculture or primary industries from State, Territory and the Australian governments. Once the Standards & Guidelines have been endorsed by the PIMC, each State and Territory needs to put the Standards into regulations (make them law) if they are to become mandatory and enforceable. If the Standards are not regulated then they can only provide guidance and cannot be enforced.

How do the old Model Codes and the new Standards & Guidelines help animal welfare?

The Model Codes and the new Standards & Guidelines help animal welfare in two main ways. Firstly, they provide guidance for all people responsible for the welfare of livestock to help them care for their animals in the most appropriate way. Secondly, they provide a clear benchmark for the minimum acceptable standard of housing and care, which helps to prevent poor practices.

If minimum standards are regulated by each State and Territory government, then this means everyone in Australia must abide by them or they may face prosecution by government officers or the RSPCA. For instance, the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Poultry sets minimum cage sizes for layer hens: these sizes have been regulated under the relevant animal welfare legislation. If a producer puts too many hens in a cage, or uses cages that are too small, then they can be prosecuted under the regulations.

Standards & Guidelines for animal welfare can be used to phase-out old practices that are no longer considered acceptable, or to introduce new techniques that improve animal welfare. They can also be used to encourage changes in practice which may eventually lead to the phasing-out of old methods where these have been found to have poor outcomes.

However many of the Model Codes currently in use do not set clear minimum standards, they only make recommendations. These are not enforceable and can only be used as guidance or as a defence in the case of legal action. The new process of reviewing and updating the old Model Codes and their conversion into Standards & Guidelines will help to rectify this situation, but it will be some years before all old Model Codes are converted.

Have your say

Every new Standards & Guidelines will be put out for a public consultation period which usually lasts 60 days. During this time anyone who wishes to make a comment or submission on the draft document may do so. The feedback received on the document helps the stakeholder group to make a final decision on the minimum standards in the Standards & Guidelines. Many of the comments received will come from industry representatives or directly from farmers. It is very important that comments are also received from consumers and others who are not directly involved in livestock production.

Regulatory impact statement

Accompanying each new Standards & Guidelines put out for public consultation is a regulatory impact statement (RIS). The RIS is produced in consultation with industry and stakeholders and provides information on:

• Why the minimum standards are needed
• What the objectives of the standards are
• What alternative approaches were considered and why they were not adopted
• What the benefits and the costs of the changes are
• How the benefits outweigh the costs
• How the standards compare to relevant international standards

Animal welfare groups are not directly involved in the development of regulatory impact statements and the information presented may not reflect the views of animal welfare organisations.

Watch this space!

Whenever a draft Standards & Guidelines is out for public consultation, RSPCA Australia will let you know about the process through this page. Alternatively, if you would like us to notify you of all national public consultation processes relating to animal welfare issues, please send an email to action@rspca.org.au and we will add your email address to our notification list.

There are currently no Standards & Guidelines out for public consultation.