Table 1: State and territory legislations relating to control of use of veterinary chemicals. Vet Chemical Control QLD NSW (DPI) ACT VIC TAS SA WA NT Use of unregistered products (including compounded) permitted in major FPS by vets only (or persons under vet direction)? Yes But “Single” animal only Yes But “Single” animal only No Permit only Yes But “Single” animal only Yes But “Single” animal only Yes Yes But FPS only “Single” animal or low risk or CVO approved chemical Yes* Permit only Use of compounded products by vets permitted in companion animals and other FPS? Yes But only “Single” FPS animal Yes But only “Single” FPS animal No^ ^Contact Dept. of Yes But only “Single” FPS animal (unless label or Order prohibits) Yes Yes Yes But FPS only “Single” animal or low risk or CVO approved chemical Yes* Use of compounded products by vets permitted in companion animals and other FPS even if suitable registered product available? Yes But only “Single” FPS animal Yes But only “Single” FPS animal No ^Contact Dept. of Yes But only “Single” FPS animal (unless label or Order prohibits) No Yes Yes But FPS only “Single” animal or low risk or CVO approved chemical Yes* FPS = food producing species. “Single” is defined in the legislation of each jurisdiction. References APVMA website: To search for registered product http://services.apvma.gov.au/PubcrisWebClient/welcome.do To search for a permit product go to http://www.apvma.gov.au/permits/permits.shtml AVMA Policy Compounding http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/compounding.asp State and Territory Control of Use legislation Most jurisdictions also use Orders and Notices to give effect to their controls. QLD Chemical Usage (Agricultural and Veterinary) Control Act 1988
Electroimmobilisation Position Statement Electro-immobilisation for veterinary interventions should only be used for animal restraint purposes where there is no feasible alternative. Use of the instrument should take into account the welfare of the animal and the safety of the operator. The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) recommends that electro-immobilisation be conducted by veterinarians as it involves complex aspects of animal welfare. Background Electroimmobilisation involves passing a pulsed, low-voltage electrical current through the body of an animal. Usually, electrodes are applied to two parts of the animal’s body and the electric current is delivered along the animal’s spine. The electrical current induces contraction of the muscles supplied by the nerves of that segment of the spine, preventing voluntary movement of the animal. Movement is regained as soon as the current is switched off. Electro-immobilisation devices have been used to immobilise animals in order to perform animal husbandry procedures when there are perceived risks to the safety of the handler or the animal with other forms of restraint. Electro-immobilisation should not be used as a substitute to an effective holding and restraining facilities. Producers should be encouraged to select for good temperament in their livestock breeding programs to reduce the need for such devices. At present, there is no evidence to suggest that electro-immobilisation induces analgesia. There is evidence that it does produce avoidance behaviour in some animals, which indicates that it may cause pain and suffering. Other relevant policies and position statements Pain and analgesia References Grandin, T., S. E. Curtis, T. M. Widowski, and J. C. Thurmon. (1986) . Journal of Animal Science 62:1469-1480 Shrode RR, Hammack SP. Chute behavior of yearling beef cattle (Abstr.). J Anim Sci 1971;33:193. Stricklin WR, Heisler CE, Wilson LL. Heritability of temperament in beef cattle (Abstr.). J Anim Sci 1980;51(Suppl 1):109. Ratified by the AVA Board: October 2010
require training in achieving appropriate stimulation without causing adverse effects on the animal’s welfare. Guidelines Comprehensive information on the collection of semen from bulls may be found in the publication of the Australian Cattle Veterinarians, Evaluating and Reporting Bull Fertility Entwistle K and Fordyce G (2003). Date of ratification by Board: 15th February, 2008 Part 4 - Euthanasia