RSPCA Tasmania chief executive Jan Davis has hit back at animal rights advocates who launched a petition calling for her to be dumped from the position.
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Ms Davis was appointed to the position last month after Dr Andrew Byrne resigned. She has previously served as chief executive of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association .
Animal rights advocates did not welcome Ms Davis' appointment and have expressed concerns about past statements she made in relation to 1080 poison, caged eggs and live exports.
Ms Davis said a petition launched by Animal Liberation, which called on RSPCA Australia CEO Richard Mussell to "dump" her, showed a lack of respect for the RSPCA Tasmania board.
"They [the board] went through a very comprehensive and thorough process to appoint me and they made the decision that I was the right person for the job," Ms Davis said.
"They would not have made that decision if they were not comfortable either my professional background or my personal positions."
Ms Davis said she never argued against better animal welfare standards.
"I argued that these come at a cost and somebody has to pay," she said.
"In making new rules we have to be cognisant of the impact these rules have and who bears the cost of that impact. If it's the community's decision that they want something to happen then it is only right and proper that those in the community bear the cost of some of that happening."
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Ms Davis said the reduced use of 1080 poison- which the RSPCA has described as inhumane - for pest animal control in Tasmania had led to an increase in pest species like deer.
"So now we're dealing with the impacts of population pressure by an introduced species on our native plants and animals," she said.
Regarding live exports, Ms Davis said her issue was "not that the rules changed, but that the rules changed without any warning".
The Animal Justice Party's Tasmania convenor Tim Westcott said representatives from his party met with Ms Davis to discuss their concerns.
"In this meeting she did not revise her previously stated positions, but instead emphasised that her views were based on who pays for implementing community standards," Mr Westcott claimed.
"We do not accept that these positions, however they were arrived at, are compatible with the mandate of the RSPCA to prevent cruelty to animals."
Mr Westcott said he hoped the RSPCA Tasmania board would use "Ms Davis' extensive lobbying expertise to push for tangible improvements in the lives of animals in Tasmania".
"In order to be successful in her role as CEO of RSPCA Tasmania, Ms Davis needs to earn the community's trust," he said.
"To do this, she needs to actively work with the broader animal protection movement in Tasmania, and achieve real results for animals in Tasmania."