Animal Care and Protection Amendment Bill 2022 bans defended by Agriculture Minister Mark Furner

The two bans were among the most divisive topics in the Animal Care and Protection Amendment Bill 2022, which intends to "modernise" Queensland's animal welfare laws.

The community was able to provide feedback on the proposed amendments via the State Development and Regional Industries Committee, resulting in more than 2300 submissions.

The Bill is likely to be debated in Parliament in August.

The Opposition, Kennedy MP Bob Katter and dog trainers have been vocal in their opposition to the collar ban, saying the government did not consult with key stakeholders prior to the introduction of the Bill and that a ban is an overreach.

Mr Furner said the government would consider all opposing views but their position that dog collars were inhumane was clear.

"The Committee has had a thorough look at the legislation and we are considering what they have recommended. We will also consider the feedback in the dissenting statement," Mr Furner said.

"The importation of prong collars is banned by the federal government because of their potential to harm animals. We will not continue to support the use of prong collars that cause harm."

Prong collars clause 14 of the Bill prohibits the possession and use of a prong collar without a reasonable excuse.

A prong collar is defined in the Bill as a collar designed for training use on a dog, and which consists of a series of links or segments with prongs, teeth or blunted open ends turned towards the skin of a dog so that, when the collar is tightened, the collar pinches the skin around the dog's neck.

Submissions against the ban were primarily from dog trainers and existing users of the collars and included Dog Training Queensland, Professional Dog Trainers of Australia, and International Association of Canine Professionals.

However, many organisations outlined their support for the proposed ban including RSPCA Queensland, Dogs Queensland, the Pet Industry Association of Australia, Australian Alliance for Animals, Pet Professional Guild Australia, Animal Justice Party, Animals Australia Federation, and Animal Liberation Queensland.

The proposal to ban the use of poison on feral or pest animals that includes the ingredients carbon disulphide and phosphorus such as CSSP pig poison has also been contentious.

The government says the primary driver for the prohibition is the inhumaneness of the poison.

DAF advised that a humaneness model indicates CSSP scores lowest compared to any other control method due to the intensity of suffering and the mode of death this poison causes.

AgForce disputed the value of the humaneness model, Mr Katter called the poison "a necessary evil" while the currently available methods remained "inadequate", while the Opposition said the government should not ban CSSP until further investigation occurs.

"CSSP is just one tool in the armoury for tackling feral pigs, causes a lingering and painful death for those animals and has a disproportionate impact on other birds and wildlife," Mr Furner said.

Multiple inquiry stakeholders outlined their support for the amendment including Australian Pork Limited - a manager of the National Feral Pig Management Coordinator Program, Queensland Farmers' Federation, Animal Liberation Queensland and Animal Justice Party.

Read more