New Victorian animal welfare rules: cool dogs, shorn sheep, pain relief now law

The changes all come into effect immediately, with the exception of pain relief for mulesing, which becomes enforceable on July 1, 2020.

It is now illegal to keep animals in vehicles or in metal trays without insulation when the temperature hits 28 degrees Celsius.

Shays Flat farmer and dog trainer Zoe Crouch supported the changes.

"Put your hand on a metal tray on a warm day like today and you'll burn your hand, so I'm in agreeance with that," she said.

"There's nothing to stop a person putting a bit of MDF on the back of their ute.

"They deserve a bit of comfort, too."

Under the regulations, sheep must be shorn before the fleece is longer than twice the average annual growth for the breed or more than 250mm (whichever is shorter).

WoolProducers Australia (WPA) chief executive Jo Hall welcomed both the shearing and pain relief requirements.

"We're quite comfortable with that," Ms Hall said.

"Strictly speaking, we didn't see the need for the 250mm limit but it's common sense really."

Pain relief requirements were in line with WPA's own policy.

"We are quite pleased with this outcome and it shows leadership from the Victorian government," she said.

There are also new rules that prohibit animals unable to stand on all feet being transported and water being provided before time off water provisions expired.

Livestock & Rural Transporters Association of Victoria (LRTAV) president John Beer said the animal welfare changes came as no surprise.

"A lot of it's common sense," he said.

"To make big improvements in animal welfare, we should be looking at the quality of loading and unloading facilities.

"The time of day the sales are held is also important - we shouldn't be having stock spending all night in yards for sales that start in the middle of the day, especially in summer."

For more information about the new POCTA Regulations 2019, visit animalwelfare.vic.gov.au.