The days of calf roping at Queensland rodeos could be numbered if the government accepts a recommendation from the Office of Best Practice Regulation.
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By the end of February, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries expects to have advice from the regulation office on whether to hold public consultation to hear the community's views on calf roping remaining a legal event.
The push to ban calf roping at Queensland Rodeos or the 'Rope and Tie' event has been pushed by RSPCA Queensland and Animal Liberation Queensland for a number of years.
In early 2019 Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner established a working party to develop Standards and Guidelines for Queensland Rodeos. The welfare of calves used in calf roping events and the requirement for a veterinarian to be present were stated to be key considerations in developing the Standards.
Rodeo Campaign Director for Animal Liberation Queensland Gayle D'Arcy said if Minister Furner accepts the public consultation, there will be a two-month period where the public make submissions to the Government outlining their reasons why the calf roping event should stay or go.
"This current campaign has been building for several years," Ms D'Arcy said.
"After high levels of public concern at Rodeos throughout 2016-17, the Queensland Government asked for a report into calf roping from its own Rodeo Standards Advisory Group."
The Rodeo SAG is the working group which meets to debate and progress the draft Rodeo Standards and is composed of rodeo industry representatives, policy officers from DAF, and animal welfare reps such as RSPCA Queensland, the Australian Veterinary Association, Animals Australia, and Animal Welfare League Queensland
Ms D'Arcy said ALQ's longer-term objective was to ban rodeo altogether.
"Calf roping is the first step. It produces fear and torments vulnerable baby animals, which is simply unacceptable today," she said.
Victoria banned the calf roping event in the 1980s following the death of a calf and South Australia followed suit in 2007.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
