The RSPCA has removed its ‘Stop the slaughter’ anti-duck hunting campaign from its website. The move comes after an independent review of RSPCA’s inspectorate services urged the group to stop conducting activist campaigns against Victoria’s animal welfare laws.
The review, led by Victoria Police’s former Chief Commissioner Neil Comrie, found there was a perceived conflict of interest regarding the charity, which is partly funded by the Victorian Government. The conflict of interest arose because the RSPCA, which was responsible for enforcing State prevention of cruelty to animals laws, also engaged in “activism against those same or related laws”.
On Thursday, October 6, RSPCA Chief Executive Liz Walker accepted the recommendation that: “RSPCA Victoria, while continuing its legitimate advocacy role, discontinue its public activist campaigning against the existing laws of this State”. “We knew we needed to improve the effectiveness of our inspectorate,” she said. “This was a key driver in commissioning the review. We are now very clear on what the current issues are and what we must do to resolve them.”
When RSPCA failed to remove its ‘Stop the slaughter’ campaign from the website later that week, Shooters and Fishers Party MP Daniel Young exposed the group. “While I welcome the recommendation and the stated response from the RSPCA, I now call for immediate action to put an end to this campaign against law-abiding duck hunters,” Mr Young said.
An avid and long-time duck hunter, Mr Young said he had long-challenged the Victorian Government for allowing an agency that received State funding to vilify an activity that was legal in the State. “I raised questions as to why the Government supported the RSPCA when it prioritised other issues and campaigns above what should have been its main objective of preventing incidents where poor animal welfare existed,” he said.
However, today the campaign has been removed from the website and it appears the RSPCA has returned to its roots. Under the ‘issues’ section of its website is just ‘cat welfare’ and ‘puppy factories’. In its ‘get involved’ section there is a link to ‘issues’ with a picture of a duck, however the link leads nowhere.