New technology is set to improve the State’s Pet Exchange Register and provide peace of mind to Victorians on where their new pets have come from.
In a statement, the Minister for Agriculture, Jaclyn Symes said the State had made Application Programming Interface (API) technology available to classifieds websites, to enable them to automatically verify whether a source number was genuine and valid, before publishing an advertisement.
“Like the street address verification technology used by hundreds of websites, the new Pet Exchange Register API is yet another tool to crack down on illegal puppy farms and kitten breeders and break their business model,” Ms Symes said.
“This complements a new requirement that dogs and cats born after 1 July 2020 must have the source number of their breeder – or the source number of the council pound, animal shelter or foster carer that owns the animal – included on their microchip application form,” she said.
“This enables our beloved pets to be traced throughout their lifetime.”
Ms Symes said a source number from the Pet Exchange Register was needed to advertise a puppy, kitten, dog or cat for sale or to give away in Victoria.
“While we know most people do the right thing, we need to keep working to ensure illegal puppy farmers and kitten breeders are not operating in Victoria.”
“This technology will help to give people confidence that they are buying or adopting their new furry friend from a legitimate source,” she said.
