Shock as no animal welfare concerns found at alleged illegal Wagga knackery

Nationals MLC Wes Fang repeatedly questioned RSPCA NSW chief executive Steve Coleman as he gave testimony about investigations at the location where Wagga City Council claimed it found more than 500 dead horses.

The council, with support of the police, investigated reports horses had been butchered at the property and their carcasses left in a dry creek bed.

Testifying before a hearing of the parliamentary inquiry into the prevention of cruelty to animals in Sydney on Friday, April 26, Mr Coleman revealed the RSPCA attended the property at the centre of the allegations on two separate occasions, with the first occurring in late 2023.

Mr Coleman said workers attended the property last September and then again in January 2024 after receiving "welfare complaints".

But when pressed by Mr Fang in that hearing about whether RSPCA inspectors found the alleged 500 horse carcasses, the RSPCA head gave a simple "no".

However, Mr Coleman did admit workers found evidence of dead horses.

"We saw remnants of skeletons," he said.

Mr Coleman said this prompted the animal welfare body to ask questions about what had happened to the horses.

He said the RSPCA had concluded its investigations into the two complaints and found no animal welfare concerns.

"There's allegations of an illegal knackery and we've certainly put questions to the person of interest, all of which has been denied," Mr Coleman said.

"That together with dealing with complaints around their dogs on the property, all of which were considered to be in reasonable condition."

When pressed as to whether there was a current ongoing investigation into the property, Mr Coleman refused to say yes or no, but revealed they have now received a third complaint.

"The most recent complaint we received was this week and we've responded [to that]," he said.

Instead of saying whether the RSPCA was still investigating the matter, Mr Coleman directed attention to other agencies and bodies looking into the property.

"I believe that the food authority is still investigating through the DPI ... [and that] Wagga City Council are still investigating," he said.

On Monday, Mr Fang questioned the leadership of RSPCA and said it was "ludicrous" it had found no animal welfare concerns at the property given the extraordinary revelations of hundreds of horse carcasses at the property announced by the council in mid-April.

Last week, the state government suspended its brumby re-homing program while an investigation takes place into the illegal knackery allegations.

The government-ordered probe, which began on Monday, will examine allegations the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) failed to comply with its guidelines when re-homing more than 250 wild horses to a person with links to the alleged slaughtering of the animals.

But while this has been suspended, the state government continues to carry out aerial brumby culling and Mr Fang believes that's not acting in good faith.

He said it was a "disgrace".

"If there are questions around one part of the Kosciuszko Management Plan, there should be questions around the whole of it," Mr Fang said.

He called for NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe to "immediately cease" the aerial culling of brumbies"

Tumut-based brumby re-homer Donna Pratt agreed and expressed her exasperation at the decision to pause re-homing.

"It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," she said.

Ms Pratt, who is currently looking after two "brumby orphans" said she has no faith in the state government to leave any horses in the park as a result of the cullings.

"All they want to do is eradicate the whole brumby population," she said.

Meanwhile, Mr Fang has confirmed the inquiry into the proposed aerial shooting of brumbies in the Kosciuszko National Park has been extended with a new hearing date to be held on May 23, putting greater scrutiny on the alleged illegal knackery.

The MLC said the hearing format was likely to see a number of parties called, including relevant government and non-government organisations that have been "involved in this property".

Mr Fang also hinted further hearings could be required depending on what is revealed on May 23.

In October 2023, the state government announced it would recommence aerial shooting of wild horses in the Kosciuszko National Park for the first time in years amid concerns the park's native wildlife and ecosystems were coming under increasing threat due to booming populations.