Council
9 December, 2023
Changes to animal ownership
Somerset Regional Council has completed a review and proposed changes to its animal management subordinate local laws to better meet the needs and expectations of the community
The recommended amendments, concerning animal management and keeping animals, were endorsed in Council’s ordinary meeting.
Somerset Regional Council Councillor Sean Choat said the proposed amendments have been designed to bring laws in line with surrounding local government areas and meet the community’s expectations.
“The amendments strike the right balance between reducing unnecessary regulatory burden, correcting recurrent issues while also maintaining the standards under which animals must be kept in the region,” Cr Choat said.
The proposed amendments include:
Removing the requirement to be a member of an approved entity or an accredited breeder when making an application to keep extra dogs.
Adding criteria for multi-residential premises and premises at caravan parks.
Adjusting allowable number of animals to be more in line with surrounding local government areas.
Introducing an approval process for keeping horses on allotments, which is currently prohibited.
The public consultation period ran from October to November this year and included an advertisement appearing in three local newspapers and on Council’s website, seeking written submissions by any person in support of, or objecting to, the proposed legislation.
The advertisement, current versions of the subordinate local laws and the proposed amending subordinate local laws were available from Council’s website during the consultation period.
