The first Horse Welfare Roundtable convened by the RSPCA was held today in Melbourne.
The Australian Horse Industry Council was one of the key equine groups invited to attend.
A number of areas relating to horse welfare were covered with representatives from across the Horse Industry.
In addition to the Australian Horse Industry Council, representatives included, Harness Racing Australia, Racing Australia, Equestrian Australia, Australian Veterinarian Association and the Equine Veterinary Association.
AHIC President Mark Burnell said “Dr Bidda Jones, (Acting CEO of the RSPCA) and the RSPCA are to be commended for taking the lead in bringing peak equine bodies together to discuss ways we can improve horse welfare guidelines for all horses in Australia, not just race horses. All horses should expect to be treated respectfully and humanely throughout their lives, this also should extend to their end of life.”
The round table discussed a range of horse welfare issues and called for a review into the following areas including how they are overseen and enforced:
national transportation guidelines for horses
horse abattoir and knackery practices across Australia
welfare standards at horse sales and auctions
The AHIC again called for a whole of Industry Survey to be conducted to provide an accurate picture of the scale of the equine population and industry in Australia. This information currently does not exist as a whole of industry data set. This would provide a valuable baseline for regulators and policy makers when considering some of the issues above, together with the recent Senate Inquiry call for a National Horse Traceability Registry.
The Horse Welfare Roundtable will meet again in the new year. The AHIC will continue to be involved and to represent the wider horse community in this forum.
The AHIC holds a number of Industry Advisory Committee meetings throughout the year to discuss these issues with member organisations and to brief them about major industry developments.