‘Act now to prevent future tragedy’: RSPCA says lack of pet food safety regulation is putting Australian pets at risk

RSPCA Australia has joined forces with the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) and the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA) in calling for an end to the significant delays in developing and implementing robust pet food regulation, including expediting a mandatory Standard for pet food safety – almost three years after it was recommended by a Senate inquiry.

“All pets in Australia should have access to safe, high-quality food and pet owners must be able to have confidence that the food they’re buying is safe,” said RSPCA Australia Senior Scientific Officer (Companion Animals) Dr Sarah Zito.

“But at the moment, we do not have adequate regulation of pet food in Australia, and the Australian Standard for the Manufacturing and Marketing of Pet Food is not mandatory. The recent events in Victoria, where at least 23 pet dogs died, and many more became ill due to unsafe pet food causing liver failure, are a tragic reminder of this.

“Now more than ever, our pets are providing us with valuable comfort and companionship. They’re viewed as family members, and the consequences of losing a beloved companion to unsafe pet food are devastating.

“In June 2018, the Federal Government led a national review of pet food safety regulation. However, over three years later, the Government still has not provided their final report or outlined a way forward.

Dr Zito also said the current self-regulation fails to protect Australian pets from unsafe pet food.

“A mandatory Standard against which all pet food producers must be audited is needed - to guarantee that pet food (including pet meats) meet a high standard of food safety and traceability, to prevent potential contaminants and toxins from entering pet food, and to ensure that there is a mandatory recall process to prevent further illnesses and deaths if a problem occurs.

“The lack of a mandated recall process when pet food problems have been identified has exacerbated adverse events in which pets have suffered from life threatening illnesses.

"Australians should be able to buy food for their pets knowing there are robust and enforceable systems in place to help prevent unsafe pet food being produced and sold, and ensure there is a standard recall process across the industry to guarantee a prompt and effective response if a problem is identified.

“The only effective way to address the issue of pet food safety in Australia is to implement government regulation and a mandatory Standard for the manufacturing, marketing and safety of pet food.

“This has dragged on long enough, and we must act now to prevent future tragedy. The Federal Government must outline a clear way forward to establishing Government regulation of pet food in Australia."

RSPCA Australia, the AVA and the PFIAA wrote to the Federal Minister for Agriculture with these concerns in July but have not yet received a response.

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‘Act now to prevent future tragedy’: RSPCA says lack of pet food safety regulation is putting Australian pets at risk

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