Animals' Angels
Animals' Angels
Animal Welfare In Australia
Animal Welfare in Australia.
Animal Welfare Legislation:
Australian animal welfare legislation 1 is written to be “outcome based” as opposed to prescriptive. In other words an act of obvious cruelty must occur before the breach can be reported and by then, the animal has already suffered and possibly died. There is little to no PREVENTION of cruelty and suffering.
In addition, animal cruelty in Australia is a criminal offence and as such requires proof beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant engaged in an act of cruelty. The evidence required to meet this standard of proof and the extent of the investigation necessary to obtain such evidence can be a disincentive to regulating authorities to investigate and commence proceedings for offences under the animal welfare legislation.
Codes of Practice:
Unlike the animal welfare legislation in force throughout the EU, the animal welfare legislation in Australia is generally not prescriptive. Therefore, Codes of Practice relevant to each section of the industry were developed as guidelines on how to fulfill the minimum welfare standards acceptable within industry. Codes of Welfare are considered ‘voluntary’, because there is no law which unequivocally states that the codes must be obeyed. There are general exceptions however; in South Australia the Animal Welfare Act specifies certain persons who must ensure compliance with the codes in Schedule 2, and in Queensland the Animal Care and Protection Act provides that the code concerning welfare of animals in circuses is compulsory and that the code re domestic fowl is mandatory.
The codes are acknowledged as being accepted detailed minimum standards or accepted farming practice, and as such it is reasonable to expect that the industry shall comply with them.
Indeed, industry’s compulsion to meet these standards is reinforced by the fact that compliance with these codes provides a defence against a charge of cruelty or a duty of care omission under the animal welfare legislation in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory (ie. all States except New South Wales and Tasmania).
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Achievements in Australia
Audits in transport:
One of the ways in which Animals’ Angels in Australia measures the success of our work is by auditing the level of compliance to the standards and codes of practice in transportation and the condition of the animals. This applies to both the port for live animal export and to saleyards. We also closely monitor saleyard activities and it is this careful observation which has provided us with the evidence to encourage change.
During the last three or so years we have successfully managed to influence the industry to improve their practices in order to comply with both the legal requirements and their voluntary rules.
Our Organisation
Animals’ Angels is an international organisation with full-time investigators working in Australia, Europe, and the United States. Our focus is on improving conditions in transportation and handling of animals used in farming. We work primarily in the field, visiting saleyards as well as attending ports from where live animals are exported on ships to overseas destinations for slaughter. We cooperate with saleyard managers and various authorities (The WA Animal Welfare Unit, Police, Department of Agriculture and Food WA, Federal Dept of Agriculture)
Animals’ Angels is the only animal welfare organisation that is a member of the EU Commission Advisory Group on the Food Chain and Animal and Plant Health.
Welcome to the Australian website of respected international animal rights organisation ANIMALS' ANGELS which was founded in 1998.
ANIMALS' ANGELS has established permanent ‘investigation teams’ that regularly carry out on-site investigations into places where animals are held, including transport vehicles, slaughterhouses, ports, border control stations and livestock markets across Europe, Canada, the USA and Australia.
The investigation results are documented in reports and supported by photos and video footage; these are then submitted to the relevant authorities in order to enforce legislation or to seek further protective legislative measures.
ANIMALS' ANGELS long-term aim is the abolition of the long distance transportation of "farm"animals.
With our motto - “we are there with the animals” – always in mind, the day-to-day work of ANIMALS' ANGELS is based on the conviction that the cruel treatment of animals is contradictory to the perceived set of values of developed nations together with our own five basic ethical beliefs of compassion, commitment, confidence, cooperation and courage.
Together, they have formed an essential part of the secret behind the effectiveness and success of ANIMALS' ANGELS.
