Advocating for animals in Queensland

Advocacy is the process of influencing decision-makers who determine laws, policies and practices that impact animals’ lives. In animal welfare, decision-makers are commonly governments, regulators and industry, but they can also include the media, peak bodies, interest groups, other non-government organisations, and the wider community.

To be an effective advocate for animals, RSPCA Queensland focuses on building constructive relationships with decision-makers so that evidence-based animal welfare advice is at the table when decisions are made. Where needed, advocacy also includes holding decision-makers accountable by calling out harmful policy or practice and pushing for reform that reduces suffering and improves animals’ quality of life.

Yes. Glue traps (also called glue boards) use a very strong adhesive. When an animal steps onto the trap, they can become stuck and may struggle for hours or days, which can cause injuries, stress, dehydration and starvation. Death is often slow and painful.

Although they are marketed mainly for rodents, glue traps can also catch non-target animals such as birds, reptiles and small mammals. RSPCA Queensland is advocating for glue traps to be prohibited because of the severity and duration of suffering they can cause.

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Conventional steel-jawed leg-hold traps remain legal in Queensland, even though they are illegal in several other Australian jurisdictions. Regardless of the design, jawed traps can cause pain and suffering, including bruising, lacerations, fractures, dislocation and prolonged distress as animals struggle to escape.

A key welfare risk is that traps are sometimes set in remote areas and not checked frequently enough, meaning animals (including non-target species) may remain trapped for extended periods before being killed or released. RSPCA Queensland is advocating for a phase out of inhumane steel jaw traps to prevent prolonged suffering.

Learn about humane pet animal control programs

Animal welfare outcomes can be improved through changes to laws, regulations, codes of practice and enforcement systems. A key reform needed in Queensland is strengthening animal welfare governance so that decisions are independent, evidence-based and transparent, and enforcement is properly resourced and accountable.

There is a need for stronger animal welfare regulatory architecture (including independent oversight) and more modern, species-appropriate standards, particularly for non-production animals, so that expectations are clear and welfare protections keep pace with contemporary evidence and community expectations. RSPCA Queensland is working with the state government to improve current codes of practice and establish new codes of practice to improve animal welfare for domestic animals and wildlife.

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Horse racing can pose significant risks to horse welfare including catastrophic injuries and deaths, the routine use of devices and equipment that can cause pain or distress (such as whips, tongue ties and spurs), and industry pressures that can contribute to overbreeding, wastage, and concerns about traceability and end-of-career outcomes.

Industry reforms must focus on reducing harm, improving transparency and accountability, and addressing whole-of-life welfare, so that horses bred and used for racing are protected not only on race day but across their breeding, training, racing, retirement and rehoming pathways.

RSPCA Queensland is advocating for urgent changes to be made within the industry to improve animal welfare for horses bred and used for racing.

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RSPCA Certified is a certification program. Meat, eggs or fish under RSPCA Certified come from producers that meet the RSPCA’s detailed animal welfare standards. The standards include requirements that go above what is legally required in Australia, meaning certified producers farm to higher-welfare standards. To be RSPCA Certified, producers must meet the RSPCA’s detailed animal welfare standards and go through a rigorous certification process with regular and comprehensive assessments by specially trained RSPCA Assessors to ensure the standards are being met.

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RSPCA recognises that fish are sentient and that salmon can experience poor welfare if farming systems do not meet their behavioural and physiological needs. Through the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, RSPCA has developed animal welfare standards for farmed Atlantic salmon that focus on good husbandry and management, low-stress handling, water quality (including oxygen levels), stocking densities that allow normal swimming and schooling behaviours, and humane slaughter.

We recommend looking for RSPCA Approved certification when choosing salmon products to give you confidence that salmon has come from farms where fish are raised according to the RSPCA animal welfare standards.

There are currently no farmed Atlantic salmon producers in Australia that meet the RSPCA's standards.

Read more about the RSPCA standards for farmed Atlantic salmon

Chickens raised for meat production face a number of animal welfare issues. Around 700 million chickens are processed for their meat each year in Australia. These chickens face rapid growth welfare issues due to genetic selection, multiple animal welfare issues relating to how they are housed, and welfare risks associated with current slaughter methods.

Read about what RSPCA is doing to improve meat chicken welfare and what needs to change

In some slaughterhouses in Queensland, surveillance is legally required.

Under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 (Qld), horse slaughter facilities must have closed circuit television (CCTV) installed at key animal handling points, including unloading, holding, stunning and killing areas. CCTV must operate whenever horses are present, record clear images showing animals and staff.

CCTV is not currently mandatory under Queensland animal welfare law for slaughterhouses processing other species, such as cattle, sheep or pigs. However, all slaughterhouses remain subject to inspections, animal cruelty laws, and duty of care requirements, and some facilities operate CCTV under industry or export accreditation schemes.

Read more on the use of CCTV

RSPCA advocates for improved welfare standards for pigs and opposes housing systems that confine pigs for extended periods, including sow stalls and farrowing crates. These systems restrict movement and normal behaviour and can result in physical and psychological stress.

RSPCA believes that in all farming systems, animals must be provided with freedom of movement and the ability to satisfy their behavioural, social, and physiological preferences and needs. Through the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, RSPCA has developed standards for pig welfare that focus on enriched housing, space to move and explore, and the avoidance of highly restrictive confinement systems.

Read more about the welfare issues associated with pig production

The Five Domains is a modern framework for assessing animal welfare that considers both physical states and the animal’s mental experience. It recognises that welfare is not only about preventing suffering, but also about supporting animals to experience positive states.

The model looks at four physical/functional domains: nutrition, environment, health, and behaviour, and how these influence the fifth domain which is mental state. This is a useful way to understand that physical conditions (like pain, hunger, or inadequate environments) can also drive negative subjective experiences, and that good welfare requires attention to both.

Learn more about the Five Domains

Yes. Animals are still used in research and teaching in Australia, including some areas of medical research, although the types and numbers of animals used vary across fields and jurisdictions. Animal research is regulated and must be conducted under relevant legislation and codes, with projects reviewed by Animal Ethics Committees.

RSPCA opposes the use of animals where it causes (or is likely to cause) injury, pain, suffering or distress that cannot be prevented or adequately controlled. RSPCA also supports the 3Rs: replacement, reduction and refinement, and advocates for the development and uptake of non-animal alternatives.

Read more on RSPCA's view of the use of animals in research

RSPCA Australia’s Knowledge Base is an informative online resource that contains a wealth of information on a wide range of animal welfare related topics and issues.

Visit RSPCA Knowledgebase