EDITORIAL

For this editorial I would like to update the membership on the progress of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy meetings that John Osborne and myself attended in 2012 in Canberra.

Out of this meeting, an application was made for funding for the project of Developing Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Rodeos, in which we have received a letter from the Australian Animal Welfare Advisory Committee that the project proposal has been approved.

At the present time, there are the NCCAW(National Consultative Committee on Animal Welfare) standards for the care and treatment of animals used in rodeos, in which not all states and organisations have adopted.

The AAWS project we are working on now, aims for Rodeo organisations, Animal Welfare Organisations and Government to review and build on, the NCCAW position statement to develop rodeo standards.

In the end, these standards would then be put forward to be adopted by all jurisdictions as mandatory requirements for animal welfare in rodeos.

The final goal is the one set of Standards and Guidelines for the welfare of animals used in rodeo across the country.

I have also been corresponding with RSPCA Australia over letters attacking rodeo committee sponsors by animal extremists, Animals Australia, from the correspondence it shows the tricks used by animal extremists, for example the RSPCA policy C7 reads, 7.2 - RSPCA Australia is OPPOSED to rodeos because of the POTENTIAL for significant injury, suffering or distress to the animals involved.
The animal extremist when writing to sponsors write- RSPCA Australia and Animals Australia STRONGLY OPPOSE rodeos due to the INEVITABLE FEAR and distress animals experience during these events and the INHERENT risk of injury.

That is a small example of how changing a few words can change how it is read.

Take care

Glen Mansfield
Chairman of the Board