Animal Welfare Standards 2025-12-18
2025-12-18
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The Animal Law Foundation’s report “The Enforcement Problem” highlights that only around 2.2% of farmers were inspected in 2024, with less than half of complaints about farmed animal welfare leading to inspections and only 2% resulting in prosecution.
What steps her Department is taking to help support farmers to adopt higher animal welfare standards. Further details on how the forthcoming animal welfare strategy will ensure that credible complaints are consistently investigated and enforcement bodies have the resources and duties needed to act when animal welfare concerns are raised.
Our animal health and welfare pathway scheme provides funding to farmers to improve the health and welfare of their livestock. It also supports veterinary visits to discuss health and welfare, and it provides capital grants for equipment and infrastructure to improve animal welfare. I am pleased that 7,000 farmers have already signed up to receive funding. Further details on this issue will be set out in the forthcoming animal welfare strategy, and we need to work more closely with councils to ensure better enforcement of regulations.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific mechanisms for investigation and prosecution were not detailed.
Under Review
Will Focus On
Response accuracy