Animal welfare codes of practice

Page last updated: Monday, 5 October 2020 - 12:39pm

Please note: This content may be out of date and is currently under review.

Codes of practice for animal welfare have provided useful guidance about the management and care of animals, mainly livestock.

The codes are generally about keeping a particular type of animal (such as cattle, pigs or poultry) or about particular situations involving animals (such as circuses, at saleyards or abattoirs, or when being transported).

About codes of practice

The codes of practice are not comprehensive manuals on how to care for animals. The codes of practice do not provide detailed animal care information, such as diets, animal accommodation or animal health regimes. This information should be sought from the relevant area within the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, or a veterinarian or some other person with relevant expertise.

Adopted codes of practice

Some codes of practice are adopted by the Animal Welfare (General) Regulations (Regulation 6). These codes of practice provide the minimum welfare requirements for the care and management of a range of animals. These codes have been developed nationally involving a wide range of stakeholders including State and Territory Departments of Agriculture, animal user groups and major animal welfare organisations, and widespread consultation.

While they are not enforceable, the adopted codes of practice must be used by the courts as a yardstick to assess husbandry and management practices in cases of alleged cruelty. Where a person is charged with cruelty, the fact that a person has failed to act in accordance with an adopted code of practice must be taken into consideration by the court but is not sufficient on its own to prove that a person committed the offence.

The adopted codes of practice can also be used as a defence to a charge of cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act 2002 for a person to prove that they were acting in accordance with a relevant adopted code of practice. See regulation 6 of the Animal Welfare (General) Regulations.

The codes of practice that have been adopted by the Animal Welfare (General) Regulations are listed below. For copies of the codes of practice, please click on the PDF links in the document list on the right of this page.

Changes to Adopted Codes of Practice

The Transport regulations are supported by the Animal Welfare (General) Regulations 2003 (General regulations), which have adopted as a code of practice the

  • Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Land Transport of Livestock (“transport standards”)
  • Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Saleyards and Depots (“saleyard standards”).  

In adopting these standards, the following adopted codes of practice have been removed from the General regulations.

  • Cattle transportation - Code of Practice for the Transportation of Cattle in Western Australia
  • Horse transportation - Code of practice for the transportation of horses in Western Australia
  • Pig transportation - Code of Practice for the Transportation of Pigs in Western Australia
  • Poultry transportation - Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Land Transport of Poultry
  • Saleyards - Code of Practice for Animals at Saleyards in Western Australia
  • Sheep transportation - Code of Practice for the Transportation of Sheep in Western Australia

In addition, the General regulations modify the following existing adopted codes of practice by removing their application to the transport process (See regulation 6 of the Animal Welfare (General) Regulations). Any activity that falls within the transport process (as defined in the Transport regulations) is to be undertaken in accordance with the adopted code of practice, Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Land Transport of Livestock.

  • Abattoir - Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Livestock at Slaughtering Establishments
  • Buffalo - Code of Practice for Farmed Buffalo in Western Australia
  • Camel - Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: The Camel
  • Deer - Code of Practice for Farming Deer in Western Australia
  • Emus - Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Husbandry of Captive-Bred Emus
  • Feral Animals - Code of Practice for the Capture and Marketing of Feral Animals in Western Australia
  • Goats - Code of Practice for Goats in Western Australia
  • Pigeons - Code of Practice for Pigeon Keeping and Racing in Western Australia
  • Pigs - Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Pigs
  • Poultry - Code of Practice for Poultry in Western Australia
  • Sheep - Code of Practice for Sheep in Western Australia

In addition, the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle (“Cattle Standards”) are adopted as a code of practice, in anticipation of the development of specific regulations and the consequential removal of the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Cattle. This reflects industry interest in promoting the use of appropriate pain relief in cattle. The adoption of the Cattle Standards as a code of practice does not create any new offence provisions.

Livestock codes of practice

  • Abattoir - Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Livestock at Slaughtering Establishments
  • Buffalo - Code of Practice for Farmed Buffalo in Western Australia
  • Camels - Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: The Camel (2nd edition)
  • Cattle - Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle
  • Deer - Code of Practice for Farming Deer in Western Australia
  • Emus - Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Husbandry of Captive-Bred Emus (2nd edition)
  • Feral Animals - Code of Practice for the Capture and Marketing of Feral Animals in Western Australia
  • Goats - Code of Practice for Goats in Western Australia
  • Horses - Australian Rules of Racing
  • Horses - Rules of Harness Racing
  • Livestock Transportation - Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Land Transport of Livestock
  • Pigeons - Code of Practice for Pigeon Keeping and Racing in Western Australia
  • Pigs - Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Pigs (3rd edition)
  • Poultry - Code of Practice for Poultry in Western Australia
  • Rodeos - Code of Practice for the Conduct of Rodeos in Western Australia
  • Saleyards and depots -Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Saleyards and Depots
  • Sheep - Code of Practice for Sheep in Western Australia

Other animals: codes of practice

  • Circus - Code of Practice for the Conduct of Circuses in Western Australia
  • Exhibited Animals - Code of Practice for Exhibited Animals in Western Australia
  • Rabbits - Code of Practice for Keeping Rabbits in Western Australia

Contact information

Animal Welfare General Enquiries

Further information on reporting animal cruelty is available.

Author

Rick Bryant