Animal Welfare Policy

Principles

1. Animals are sentient beings, which have intrinsic worth separate to the needs of humans;
2. The welfare of animals must be respected with regard to both the survival of species and the protection of individual animals;
3. Humans have a responsibility to minimise any physical, psychological and emotional suffering of animals, and to maximise their quality of life;
4. Environmental damage caused by industries using animals or animal products should be effectively controlled or eliminated;
5. In and endorse the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare of the World Society for the Protection of Animals.
   
   

   Framework

   Greens NSW will work towards:
6. Educating the community to foster understanding of the human relationship with, dependence on, and responsibility for the care, protection and welfare of animals in our communities;
7. Ending all practices that inflict unreasonable or unnecessary suffering on animals;
8. Ending the export of live animals;
9. Supporting and developing sustainable farming practices that cause the least impact on animal habitat;
10. Providing consumer education on the environmental and animal welfare impacts resulting from their choices;
11. Requiring clear labelling of products, listing animal ingredients and derivatives, farm production methods, and any animal experimentation and testing methods used;
12. Ending the inhumane use of electrical devices on all species of animals;
13. Ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as traditional owners, have the right to significant involvement in the formation of policy relating to the management and care of native flora and fauna;
14. Ensuring that the control of feral animals is conducted effectively and with minimal suffering;
15. Ending recreational hunting in NSW state forests;
16. Advancing the culture of observing animals in their own habitat; and
17. Strengthening animal welfare legislation.
    
    

    Details

    The Greens NSW will work to:
    

    General

18. Foster systems that allow animals to satisfy their basic needs for natural physical movement, space, rest and interaction with others of their own species;
19. Promote animal welfare through courses in primary and secondary school curricula;
    
    

    Farming

20. Immediately end the use of sow stalls, farrowing crates and the tethering of sows;
21. Phase out intensive animal farming practices, which do not treat animals in accordance with the principles outlined above;
22. Phase out systems of intensive meat and egg production practices, and replacing them with free-range methods;
23. Develop accreditation systems, involving enforcement of codes of practice and regulations, which reward ethical production, from producer to consumer, including disposal of surplus animals, transport and slaughter;
24. Support the adoption of legally enforceable codes of practice to protect the welfare of animals used in agriculture;
25. Restrict reproductive techniques and selective breeding practices that may cause animals to suffer and/or to develop harmful physiological defects;
26. Prohibit genetic engineering involving animals;
27. Prohibit live animal export;
28. Immediately end all battery and intensive feedlot farming;
29. Immediately end all live stock transport practices that are inhumane;
    
    

    Native Animals

30. Protect, restore and extend the natural habitats of Australian native animals including marine and riverine species;
31. Prohibit the killing and capture of threatened and endangered species with increased penalties for infringements;
32. End the capture and trade in native fauna;
    
    

    Wild Introduced Animals

33. End the use of 1080 poison  to control wild species;
34. Develop effective and humane control of feral animals to protect native habitats and native species;
35. Use the most humane option for control where more than one control measure exists;
36. Develop more humane methods of control;
37. Prevent the accidental or deliberate introduction of further species of domestic animals or wild animals, including marine and riverine species, to Australia from overseas;
38. Support, strengthen and encourage the formation of Non Government Organisations (NGOs) to prevent the introduction of further wild and domestic species, including marine and riverine species, into Australia;
    
    

    Companion Animals

39. Support universal companion animal registration and subsidised de-sexing of companion animals for responsible ownership;
40. Ensure the health and welfare of domestic animals;
41. Establish a more effective and inexpensive system for finding new owners for, and as a last resort, the humane disposal of unwanted, abandoned domestic animals so that they do not escape into bushland and form feral populations;
42. Investigate ways to actively encourage pet owners to keep their animals from hunting outside;
43. Restrict the selective breeding of animals for characteristics that are harmful to themselves or others;
44. Prohibit the mutilation of companion animals such as tail docking;
    
    

    Animals Used for Entertainment

45. Abolish all cruel and inhumane treatment of animals used in sport, recreation and entertainment, including rodeos, animal circuses, steeple chasing and displays of live animals;
46. Abolish the use or display of wild animals in circuses;
47. Ensure animals are only kept in zoos where their natural behaviours are supported by suitable habitat;
48. Phase out zoos and fauna parks that fail to deliver on the principles stated above;
    
    

    Animal Experimentation

49. Promote alternatives to animal experimentation in schools, universities and other educational settings, including the use of computer technologies, tissue samples and epidemiology;
50. Promote alternatives to animal experimentation in scientific and medical research using the above strategies;
51. Where alternatives do not exist, promote a reduction in animals used and the refinement of techniques to limit suffering;
52. Replace animals in product testing for cosmetics and refinement of techniques to limit animal suffering; and
53. Oppose xenotransplantation.