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 RSPCA hesitant on DEC cruelty claims 

RSPCA hesitant on DEC cruelty claims

05 Sep, 2010 04:00 AM
THE RSPCA will only prosecute the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) if there is substantial evidence demonstrating animal cruelty.

Last month a parliamentary inquiry found the DEC responsible for the deaths of hundreds of animals on their pastoral leases.

DEC has three months to respond to the inquiry which found a lack of management, communication and funding contributed to the deaths of native animals.

RSPCA spokesperson Tim Mayne said because the RSPCA was a charity, they were waiting to see the outcome of the response before they sent inspectors to the properties.

"If we get information about animal welfare problems we will send people up there; we are going to do our best," Mr Mayne said.

"You've got a large body of land over a big area and at the end of the day the RSPCA is a charity, so the onus put on a charity with limited resources that covers such a wide area is a lot.

"We haven't got that many inspectors and we are covering a third of the country in WA."

Mr Mayne said an RSPCA representative was sent to the inquiry, conducted by the economics and industry standing committee, to ask questions and the organisation put in three submissions concerning animal welfare.

He said the maximum penalty from the Animal Welfare Act (2002) was a $50,000 and a five year imprisonment.

"If there is an identifiable problem, yes we will send inspectors up there to have a look and take part in an inquiry," Mr Mayne said.

But Mr Mayne said the RSPCA were funded 97 per cent themselves and had limited resources so it was difficult to cover such a large area with minimal staff.

"Our major concern is animal welfare and I can't state that strongly enough," he said.

"But we are fairly autonomous in terms of our funding and we rely on the generosity of the public.

"We are competing with a lot of other charities and we have to work fairly hard for our dollar, so we have to be careful where we spend that dollar in terms of locating inspectors and so forth.

"Of course we are concerned with the situation from an animal welfare perspective and that's why we have been involved in the inquiry, but at the end of the day we are a charity, so how can we be expected to cover that amount of land?"

Will Scott, Wynyangoo station, Mt Magnet, said the RSPCA shouldn't get involved because it would just complicate the situation.

Mr Scott said the inquiry highlighted the mistakes made by the DEC and they should be given time to readjust their management processes.

"There is a case against DEC and this report actually highlighted the problems," Mr Scott said.

"But I really don't think it's a deliberate case, it's more about their ignorance and philosophical views about perceived conservation rather than real conservation.

"It was all about bureaucrats running huge areas of pastoral land when they've never been there."

Mr Scott said the first thing the DEC needed to do was reinstate watering points at least every 20km to let the natural fauna and wildlife survive.

He also said the DEC should be treated the same as all the other pastoralists and run the vermin control in exactly the same way as other stations.

"They should be paying money to control the pests as well, if not more than the pastoralists," he said.

"They've been under resourced. The DEC bought the properties, but was unable to manage vermin control and all sorts of other things."

Mr Scott said the inquiry was a huge wake up call for the DEC but he was confident they would get on top of it and fix all the problems.

"But there should be a moratorium on other properties until they have got these ones under control and can prove that they can manage them in a way that is sustainable, not only for environmental reasons, but for the flora and fauna. They have to stop killing all the kangaroos and birds off."

Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) vice-president Ruth Webb-Smith said the damage had already been done and there was nothing the RSPCA could do to change the situation.

"We want to focus on getting the recommendations carried out by the ministers," Ms Webb-Smith said.

"That will fix up a lot of the problems that the RSPCA is now looking back in hindsight."

Ms Webb-Smith said the RSPCA had their own issues and ideas with the DEC inquiry.

"Keep in mind they get a hell of a lot of funding from the government for their operations anyway," she said.

"Had the DEC gone by their original intentions of excising the areas that they wanted for native conservation and leave the rest to go back into other pastoral stations on a viable situation, this wouldn't have happened.

"But it's all happened so all we want to do is focus on starting to work through the recommendations with the ministers, through good consultation with peak bodies."

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Date: Newest first | Oldest first
I bet if a producer did what DEC has done the RSPCA would pursue them to the end of the earth and plaster the producer all over tv but a govt deparment well, every excuse under the sun will come from the RSPCA.


Posted by shaun, 7/09/2010 9:27:53 PM, on Farm Weekly

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Will Scott, Wynyangoo station, Mt Magnet, said the RSPCA shouldn't get involved with the inquiry into the DEC pastoral leases because it would just complicate the situation.
Will Scott, Wynyangoo station, Mt Magnet, said the RSPCA shouldn't get involved with the inquiry into the DEC pastoral leases because it would just complicate the situation.
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