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| Should animal products in Australia have a 'welfare label'? |
What do you think about
behaviour-modifying dog collars that use electric shocks or citronella to
reduce barking? Should specific breeds of dogs be banned to reduce the risk of
dog attacks? In what sort of situations should veterinarians administer pain
relief? Should animal products in Australia feature a ‘welfare label’? If
animals are to be used in petting zoos, how should we ensure their welfare?
These are important
questions and the Australian Veterinary Association is currently seeking
comment on draft policies around these and other topics. Plenty of people start
to yawn when they here the p-word, but you shouldn’t: policy is designed to
influence and impact animal welfare and when written and used well can make a
huge improvement to the lives of animals.
If you’re a veterinarian
or veterinary student and a member of the AVA (which you SHOULD be, as you can
then comment on and positively influence these policies), now is the time to
comment on the draft policies, either online (here), via email (avaact@ava.com.au), or via snail mail
(Amanda O’Hara, PO Box 4257, Kingston ACT 2604).
