Breeder withdraws proposal for controversial Victorian puppy farm

Residents and animal activists want loopholes in anti-puppy farm laws to be tightened. (Supplied: RSPCA) A dog breeder who was seeking approval for a 150-puppy farm near Bendigo in Central Victoria has withdrawn their application. Nearby farmers and animal activists say the "extraordinary" proposal would have been unethical. The breeder would have required a ministerial exemption to have more than 10 breeding dogs. Link copiedShareShare articleAn application for a proposed dog breeding facility in Elphinstone in Central Victoria has been withdrawn following lobbying from residents and animal activists. The puppy farm had planned to operate 24 hours a day and house up to 150 dogs including corgis, golden retrievers and Cavalier King Charles spaniels. The application for the facility, lodged with Mount Alexander Shire Council in April, stated it "mandates scheduled caesarean sections at specialised veterinary clinics". Animal Justice MP and Member for Northern Victoria Georgie Purcell said it would have been an "extraordinary" first. Georgie Purcell wants the government to clamp down on exemptions handed to dog breeders. (ABC News: Tyrone Dalton) "It's incredibly intrusive and invasive on these animals to have continuous C-sections," she said. "The recovery period is long and it's going to have a detrimental impact on their bodies. "It's clear this is an economic decision to ensure all of those puppies survive and can be sold for profit." The application also proposed using artificial insemination, which Deb Tranter, founder of anti-puppy farm organisation Oscar's Law, said was invasive. "In my 34 years of investigating puppy farms, I've never come across such invasive surgical intervention before," she said. The ABC contacted the applicant for comment. Mount Alexander Shire confirmed to the ABC on Wednesday afternoon that the application had been withdrawn. In 2017, the Victorian government introduced laws it claimed stamped out puppy farms. However, the minister for agriculture can grant an exemption for breeders to keep more than 10 and up to 50 female dogs. Georgie Purcell with dogs she rescued from a puppy farm after tighter laws came into force. (Supplied: Georgie Purcell) Ms Purcell said exemptions had become too easy to get and she was aware of 10 puppy farms with more than 10 female dogs operating in Victoria. "The exemption allows them to say they [breeders] are state government-approved … it creates this sense of legitimacy when it's actually the absolute opposite," she said. Ms Purcell wants the government to change its legislation and cap the maximum breeding dogs at 10, and says consumers can be unaware about the truth of breeding facilities. A separate application from a different breeder to the Macedon Ranges Shire Council, an hour away from Elphinstone, requests a permit to keep 20 dogs (10 adult dogs and 10 puppies) at any one time. "Many people believe puppy farms were banned, [but] with a series of rotating ministers in this portfolio and a lack of knowledge of the original intent of the legislation, loopholes have been created, and puppy farms have made the most of that," Ms Tranter said. Wool grower Tom Walters lives next to where the puppy farm had been proposed at Elphinstone and runs a 3,000-head sheep farm. He said he had concerns about the noise, its effect on the breeding of his sheep, waste and roadways. The puppy farm would have been located next to Tom Walter's sheep farm in Elphinstone. (ABC News: Tyrone Dalton) "Our biggest concern is the ethical, environmental and economic impact it's going to have on our business," he said. "I count eight residents who will be directly impacted by the noise of continuous barking by the hundreds of dogs that will be there at a time." In a statement, the Victorian government said it had 'zero tolerance' for the mistreatment of animals and had made major reforms to stamp out cruel puppy farming in Victoria. It said Victorians could be confident that larger breeders had been fully vetted and operate in accordance with high animal welfare standards. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesLifesaving breast cancer and endometriosis drug to be pulled from shelvesTopic:Pharmaceuticals

Breeder withdraws proposal for controversial Victorian puppy farm

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