Breeder Reforms: Standards and Guidelines, Limits and Regulations for dog and cat breeders

Breeder Reforms: Dog and Cat Breeding

Livestock SA supports strong animal welfare standards and efforts to address irresponsible commercial breeding practices. However, working livestock dogs are production animals used within agricultural systems and require a regulatory approach that recognises their distinct role, breeding objectives and management conditions.

Our submission highlights the need for flexibility in the proposed breeder reforms to avoid unintended impacts on primary producers who responsibly breed and manage working livestock dogs. We also emphasise the importance of practical regulation in regional and remote areas where access to veterinary services is limited, and the need for effective management of feral and uncontrolled cats due to biosecurity and livestock health risks.

Key recommendations

• Allow flexibility in breeding age limits for genuine working livestock dogs.
• Retain veterinary discretion to assess fitness to breed beyond prescribed limits.
• Support regional access to canine transcervical artificial insemination to maintain valuable working dog genetics.
• Ensure standards account for limited veterinary access and practical farm conditions.
• Retain flexibility in microchipping timeframes in regional and remote areas.
• Explicitly recognise working livestock dogs within the breeder licensing and regulatory framework.