Australian Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed the announcement of $1.1 million for horse traceability but said this means little without a clear plan for implementation from the National Horse Traceability Working Group.
Senator Faruqi said:
"I'm very happy to see Minister Littleproud committing this money to move horse traceability forward. The federal government must provide leadership here and ensure the register gets off the ground.
"Horse traceability is critical for biosecurity, animal welfare and rider safety. A proper traceability system in Australia is long overdue.
"The Senate inquiry into horse traceability, which I established, delivered its recommendations two years ago. It's beyond time to get some clear action here.
"However, this funding allocation means little without a clear implementation plan from the Working Group, which was established over a year ago and appears to have made little progress.
"Minister Littleproud offered the Working Group $50,000 for its work in March, but this has not been allocated.
"We need movement from the Working Group and a clear commitment to getting this register off the ground as a matter of urgency."
