Farming of native fauna

Purpose

To provide a basis for AVA advocacy on issues related to commercial farming of native fauna.

Policy

1. As Australian native fauna have intrinsic value and ecological significance, and require specialised care and management, they should not be farmed purely for commercial purposes.
2. Farming of native species must only be permitted to achieve demonstrated conservation benefits, and only for those species which are suited to handling, breeding and rearing by humans.
3. Farming must not commence until sufficient validated evidence is available to demonstrate that the physical and mental needs of that species can be met through adherence to appropriate species-specific mandatory animal welfare standards.
4. Where a species’ animal welfare needs cannot be met in captivity, that species must not be farmed.
5. If certain species of native fauna are farmed, the farming must:

• be carried out in a manner that promotes the health and welfare of the individual animals and the sustainability of their species;
• be carried out using management practices based on a sound understanding of the species and which meet the animals’ needs in the Five Domains of Animal Welfare (nutrition, environment, health, behaviour, and mental state);
• be regulated by state or territory permit underpinned by mandatory standards which safeguard the welfare of the animals through all stages of breeding, rearing, production, transport and humane slaughter;
• implement monitoring and reporting activities intended to increase knowledge of the species’ husbandry and welfare needs; and
• adhere to best practice workplace health and safety (WHS) and biosecurity processes.

Scope

For the purposes of this policy, ‘farming’ refers to breeding, rearing and slaughter of captive animals for commercial food and fibre purposes.  It does not include hunting or killing of free-living fauna (harvesting).  It also does not include the keeping of animals purely for exhibit or conservation activities (eg zoos).

Background

Native fauna have intrinsic value and exist in their own right in Australia’s natural ecosystems.  There are inherent animal welfare risks in farming native fauna, and these can be exacerbated where a commercial industry is compelled to meet ongoing market demands. Native fauna are subject to additional stressors including the impacts of human activities and climate change on their populations and habitats. For these reasons, the farming of native fauna should not occur for purely commercial purposes, but should provide potential ecological benefits as well.

Currently, commercial farming of native species such as emus, crocodiles (NT and QLD only), crustacea (yabbies, crayfish, native prawns), fish (eg Murray Cod, Barramundi, Yellowtail Kingfish) and invertebrates (abalone, mussels) occurs in some Australian states. There are potential risks and benefits associated with this type of farming; for example, aquaculture often contributes to the numerous stressors that aquatic ecosystems face, yet some aquaculture activities can potentially deliver ecological benefits (Overton et al, 2024).

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognises that the sustainable use of wildlife can be both consistent with and contribute directly to species conservation (IUCN, 2022). However, it is acknowledged that there are no enterprises currently farming native terrestrial species in Australia which contribute directly to species conservation.

Unlike domestic species that have been farmed for centuries, commercial farming of native Australian fauna is relatively recent, and the published knowledge of species’ behaviours and welfare needs can be relatively sparse, for example crocodiles (Clancy, 2024). Intensive husbandry systems should be replaced by more ‘natural living’ conditions as seen in reputable zoos, to help meet physical and mental needs, and to align with growing consumer expectations of appropriate welfare in intensive production systems.

There are concerns about the adaptability of wild-living species to handling, breeding and rearing by humans, given they have evolved in the wild and have not been subjected to centuries of selection for docility.

Commercial farming of some species (eg. crocodiles) may involve the collection of eggs or the capture of free-living animals which are then bred in captivity. [Clancy, 2024, DEPWS, 2020). In the NT, egg collection as well as capture of live crocodiles (hatchlings, juvenile and adult) is permitted under their Wildlife Trade Management Plan (DEPWS, 2020). In QLD, egg collection is permitted but live animals can only be captured from the wild for public safety purposes (QLD Government, 2023). QLD does, however, source additional eggs and hatchlings from the NT to supplement their farmed stock.

Capturing animals from the wild risks causing injury and distress through capture methods and transport, as well as potential impacts on the local ecosystem and community from which they are removed. Collection of eggs has advantages from the perspective of avoiding these animal welfare risks. However, egg collection can also cause potential impacts on sustaining viable natural populations, as highlighted by Fukuda et al 2022 in relation to evidence that crocodile nesting habitat is under threat due to climate change (Fukuda et al, 2022).

Farming of native species can also potentially be a disease risk to adjacent or contiguous wild populations (Bouwmeester et al, 2021).

Guidelines

Where farming of native fauna occurs, the following guidelines should be observed:

1. Laws governing the farming of native fauna should be standardised for consistency across Australian jurisdictions.
2. Intensive farming systems should not be used but rather housing and holding facilities which aim to mimic the species’ natural environments as much as possible; this should include sufficient space for adequate exercise and expression of natural behaviours.
3. Only those species which have behavioural characteristics that allow them to adapt and thrive in the farming enterprise, should be permitted to be farmed.
4. Animals should not be captured from the wild for the purposes of commercial farming, with preference for farming enterprises that can be based on initial egg or fingerling collections and then sustainable breeding of the species on-farm.
5. A concerted effort must be made to overcome deficient areas of knowledge regarding the behaviour, management, healthcare, and nutrition of the species, as well as the effects of handling and farming operations on the individual animals.
6. Operators should be specifically trained in the management and welfare needs of the farmed species, and should work with veterinarians to maximise the health and welfare of their animals. Ideally there should be science-based codes of practice for individual species, as each has its own welfare considerations.
7. Veterinarians servicing native animal farms must acquaint themselves with the husbandry and health needs of the relevant species. They should acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to provide a professional service to such enterprises.
8. WHS implications for farmers, veterinarians, other workers and visitors must be addressed.
9. Enterprises farming native species must adopt biosecurity risk management practices that protect humans and other animals, and prevent the spread of disease within the farm and to wild populations.

Related policies

Fish welfare

Harvesting and culling of native fauna

Welfare of animals in zoos, aquaria, sanctuaries, and animal parks

References

Bouwmeester, M. M., Goedknegt, M. A., Poulin, R., and Thieltges, D. W. (2021). Collateral diseases: aquaculture impacts on wildlife infections. J. Appl. Ecol. 58, 453–464. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13775

Clancy TF (2024). Management Program for the Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) in the Northern Territory of Australia, 2024-2034. Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security, Palmerston. Consultation Draft, February 2024.

DEPWS (2020). Wildlife Trade Management Plan - Crocodile Farming in the Northern Territory 2021 – 2025: Wildlife Trade Management Plan- Crocodile Farming in the Northern Territory 2021 - 2025

Fukuda Y, McDonald PJ and Crase B (2022) Lost to the Sea: Predicted Climate Change Threats to Saltwater Crocodile Nesting Habitat. Front. Ecol. Evol. 10:839423. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2022.839423

IUCN. 2022. Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of IUCN Red List Data in Harvesting of Threatened Species (Version 1.0). Annex 4 of the Guidelines for Appropriate Uses of IUCN Red List Data (Version 4.0).

Overton, K., Dempster, T., Swearer, S. E., Morris, R. L., & Barrett, L. T. (2024). Achieving conservation and restoration outcomes through ecologically beneficial aquaculture. Conservation Biology, 38(1), [e14065]. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14065

QLD Government (2023). Wildlife Trade Management Plan – Queensland Crocodile Farming and Crocodile Egg Harvesting (2023-2028): https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/wtmp-qld-crocodile-farming-egg-harvesting-Dec-2023-Dec-2028.pdf