Licences and Permits

• Licence for Research and Teaching involving animals
• Animal Ethics Committees
• Permit to Conduct a Rodeo

• Fauna Permits

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Licence for Research and Teaching involving animals

Any person using animals for research and teaching must be licensed to do so by the Minister. Licences are conditional on Animal Ethics Committee approval and compliance with the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (the Code). Research and teaching using animals may only be performed when they are essential:

• to obtain and establish significant information relevant to the understanding of humans and/or animals;
• for the maintenance and improvement of human and/or animal health and welfare;
• for the improvement of animal management or production;
• to obtain and establish significant information relevant to the understanding, maintenance or improvement of the natural environment; or
• for the achievement of educational objectives.

In South Australia the Code is incorporated into the regulations subordinate to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985. As such failure to comply with the requirements of this Code is an offence against the regulations. If the breach results in suffering of an animal, the offender may be prosecuted for ill treatment incurring a higher penalty. In addition, the Minister may revoke a licence if its conditions are breached.

Investigators and teachers must submit a written proposal to an Animal Ethics Committee for all animal projects which must take into account the expected value of the knowledge to be gained, the justification for the project and all ethical and animal welfare aspects taking into account the 3RS - Replacement, Reduction and Refinement as outlined in the Code. Before commencement of any project, approval is required from the nominated Animal Ethics Committee. The Committee may reject, amend or place any requirements on the applicant.

Animal Ethics Committees

The primary responsibility of an Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) is to ensure, on behalf of institutions, that all care and use of animals is conducted in compliance with the Code of Practice. Animal Ethics Committees apply a set of principles, outlined in the Code, that govern the ethical conduct of people whose work involves the use of animals for scientific purposes. The role of the Animal Ethics Committee is to ensure that the use of animals is justified, provides for the welfare of those animals and incorporates the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs).

In South Australia Animal Ethics Committees are appointed by the Minister and comprise at least five persons, including a separate person appointed to each of the following categories:

• Category A: a person with qualifications in veterinary science and with experience relevant to the activities of the institution;.
• Category B: a suitably qualified person with substantial recent experience in the use of animals in scientific or teaching activities;
• Category C: a person with a demonstrable commitment to, and established experience in, furthering the welfare of animals, who is not employed by or otherwise associated with the institution;
• Category D: a person who is both independent of the institution and who has never been involved in the use of animals in scientific or teaching activities.
• Category E: a person responsible for the routine care of animals from within the institution.

An application for a licence must be completed and signed by the applicant. The application must be lodged with the Animal Welfare Unit in the Department for Environment and Heritage at least 28 days prior to the proposed date of commencement, and must be accompanied by the appropriate fee ($65.00).

• Application Form for a licence for Research and Teaching Involving Animals (50Kb PDF)
• Payment by Credit Card Form (100Kb PDF)
• The Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals For Scientific Purposes

Under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 any research involving protected wildlife species requires a Scientific Research Permit. This includes observational studies, or collection of specimens from dead animals. Research using established captive colonies of native fauna does not require a Scientific Research Permit, unless the work involves capturing new animals, or releasing animals into the wild. Scientific Research Permits are issued by the Fauna Permits Unit in the Department for Environment and Heritage.

Permit to Conduct a Rodeo

On 4 July 2007, the Minister for Environment and Conservation announced the Government's intention to improve the regulation of rodeos and the welfare of animals used in these events.

On 1 September 2007 amendments made to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations 2000 became law. Mandatory provisions within the amended Regulations include:

• Regulating those aspects of the management and conduct of rodeos which are important for animal welfare and enforcement purposes;
• Prohibiting the use of animals weighing less than 200 kg in rodeos - thus prohibiting calf roping in South Australia; and
• Prohibiting the use of small cattle prods, which could be easily concealed.

The measures announced will ensure that rodeo organisers and participants will have a clear set of requirements and that inspectors under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985 will have enforceable provisions in the event that those requirements are not met.

Any person conducting a rodeo in South Australia must obtain a permit issued by the Minister. A veterinarian must be on site at all times. Events and procedures in rodeos should be specifically designed to prevent cruelty and minimise the impacts on the welfare of the animals used. People who have responsibilities in the organisation and running of rodeos must have appropriate training to ensure that the animal welfare needs are met.

Pursuant to the Prevention of Cruelty Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsAnimals Act 1985, this application must be lodged at least 28 days prior to the proposed event, and accompanied by the appropriate fee ($65.00), with the Minister for Environment and Conservation, C/- Animal Welfare Unit, Department for Environment and Heritage, GPO BOX 1047, Adelaide SA 5000.

Details contained within issued permit may be provided to an authorised Inpsector by the Minister.

All people associated with rodeos must comply with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985.

Under the amended Regulations the Designated Permit Holder must provide a report about the conduct of the rodeo to the Minister within 21 days of the event.

• Application for a Permit to Conduct a Rodeo (50Kb PDF)
• Report of the Designated Permit Holder about the Conduct of a Rodeo (50Kb PDF)
• Report of the Designated Rodeo Judge (50Kb PDF)
• Report of the Designated Rodeo Verterinary Surgeon (50Kb PDF)

For further information please contact the DEH Animal Welfare Unit.

Fauna Permits

Fauna Permits such as keep and sell, destruction, rescue, hunting and take from the wild are administered by the Fauna Permits Unit in the Department for Environment and Heritage.

Most native animals in South Australia are protected and cannot be taken from the wild without an appropriate permit. The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 provides for a permit system to keep native animals (including mammals, birds and reptiles) in captivity. The Permit System provides a framework that identifies legally acquired native animals and allows the detection of those animals that have been illegally acquired and brought into captivity.

The keeping and trading in native animals has the potential to impact on wild populations unless there are systems in place to ensure accountability for the legal possession of animals and the manner in which they are managed. The Department for Environment and Heritage promotes fair and reasonable access to wildlife within parameters which address the conservation status of species, proper accountability for possession and appropriate standards of husbandry.

South Australia promotes the concept of private people being able to keep any species of native animal as long as the animal is legally acquired and the person has sufficient experience and knowledge and appropriate facilities to keep the animal. There is no prohibited list of animals in South Australia however due to the difficulties of keeping some species, permits are only issued to zoos and wildlife parks. These include koalas, seals and sea-lions and other high maintenance animals. The Permit System to keep and sell native fauna has been in operation since the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 was assented to on 3 July 1972.

The Permit System is regularly reviewed and revised to keep it relevant to changes in community attitudes, the conservation status of individual species, and its abundance in captivity. The permit system underwent a major change in 1989. In 1999, the permit system was again reviewed and amended.

Native animals are classed into one of the following:

• Unprotected Species - These animals are not protected in the wild. A permit to keep or sell these animals is not required.
• Exempt Species - These animals are fully protected in the wild. A permit to keep or sell these animals is not required but they must be lawfully obtained.
• Basic - These animals are fully protected in the wild. These animals are usually easy to keep in captivity, are of low financial value, are common in the wild and pose little or no public safety threat. No stock return is necessary. A permit to keep and sell these animals is required. A permit is not required to keep 1 individual, however the sale or disposal of that individual animal would require a permit. A stock return is required annually.
• Specialist - These animals are fully protected in the wild. A permit to keep and sell is required. These animals are not generally kept in captivity. They are considered to be of high status as a result of illegal trading or demand from trade, and/or animals which require special feeding or housing, and/or animals which are endangered in their natural environment and/or animals which require special expertise for handling and security.

Examples of species at various permit levels

All animals, regardless of their classification, are also protected by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985.

• Who to contact when a pet native animal is lost or found.
  
• What to do with an unwanted pet native animal.