Other Animals
Keeping livestock
If you are considering keeping livestock at your property, it is essential that the property is suitable.
Council does not have a by-law for the keeping of chickens/poultry on property. Poultry may therefore be kept provided they are managed so as not to cause an odour nuisance to neighbouring properties and no run off from the pen area occurs.
Bee keeping
Urban beekeeping can be an enjoyable hobby, producing a healthy nutritious product for home consumption. Bee keeping is low risk to the human population, however, can cause community concern, especially by neighbours. Beekeepers must take special care so their bees do not become a nuisance to neighbours, or even appear to be a problem. Talk to your neighbours before establishing a hive.
As part of the implementation of the Biosecurity Act 2019 (the Act), beekeeping is now considered a ‘regulated dealing’ and under the Act, a person must not engage in a regulated dealing unless they are registered. Therefore, registration is now compulsory for all Tasmanian commercial and recreational beekeepers. This requirement was formalised in new Biosecurity Regulations 2022 which came into effect on 2 November 2022.
Biosecurity Tasmania has implemented BeeTAS to assist beekeepers with managing their registrations. BeeTAS can be accessed at www.nre.tas.gov.au/beekeeper-registration.
The online system allows beekeepers to:
- register or renew their registration;
- maintain their apiary site information;
- record inspection details, record hive purchases, disposals and hive movements; and
- upload training certification and laboratory results.
The Tasmanian Beekeepers Association’s “Urban Beekeeping Code of Practice” aims to ensure that the keeping of honey bees does not have a negative impact on people, property, domestic animals or native flora or fauna. The code of practice can be found at www.tasmanianbeekeepers.org.au/code-of-practice-for-urban-beekeeping-in-tasmania