VICTORIA’S peak farm lobby has told the state government it needs to act swiftly to stop animal activist groups from seizing the power to police farm practice.
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In its submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the Victorian branch of the RSPCA, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has urged the government to sign into law a provision that would give Agriculture Victoria the undisputed authority to regulate commercial farming zones and confine the RSPCA to watching over domestic animals.
VFF president David Jochinke said the feedback it received from farmers was that RSPCA inspectors were aggressive and less willing to work with farmers to improve animal welfare.
Mr Jochinke believed the RSPCA’s attitude was due to its history of activist campaigning against commercial farming.
RSPCA Victoria has pledged earlier this year to end all activism but Mr Jochinke believed the group was circumventing that commitment by using the national RSPCA to campaign on its behalf.
