Animals in Switzerland may have suffered a setback recently when a national vote to provide them with legal representation was rejected; however, according to Voiceless, Australia’s leading animal protection think‐tank, Switzerland and many other countries are still streets ahead of Australia when it comes to the treatment of farm animals.

This week is Australia‘s first ‘Bacon Week’, an initiative designed by Australian Pork Limited, the peak pork industry producer’s body, to boost consumption of pigs raised in Australia. The initiative appears to be supported by regulations passed by the NSW Government last Friday, which will ensure that the institutionalised suffering of millions of pigs across the State continues for at least the next decade.
Under the new Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Animal Trades) Regulation, tens of thousands of pregnant sows in NSW will be imprisoned for the majority of their reproductive lives in steel crates known as sow stalls, barely bigger than a shopping trolley. They will not be able to take more than a step forward or back, nor will they be permitted to turn around. Young piglets will routinely be subjected to painful mutilations such as castration, tail docking and teeth clipping without pain relief.

The new reforms are part of a national approach to Australian animal welfare, facilitated by the Federal Government. However, according to Voiceless’s Managing Director, Brian Sherman AM, the reforms, introduced via national codes of practice, serve to maintain the status-quo, entrenching Australia’s status at ‘the back of the pack’ in animal welfare.

Sherman said, “Sow stalls are already banned in the UK and in many European countries. They are also scheduled to be phased out in a number of US states. All European Union member countries will prohibit the use of sow stalls from January 2013, except for the first 4 weeks of pregnancy. Australia is shamelessly lagging behind the world in its treatment of these smart and sensitive creatures and continues to do so in order to produce cheap ham, bacon and pork belly.”

Katrina Sharman, Corporate Counsel for Voiceless, said today, “Australia purports to be an international leader in animal welfare; however, in reality, billions of farm animals fall outside the protection reach of our legislation when it comes to ensuring meaningful protections. In passing this regulation, New South Wales has missed an important opportunity to exercise leadership. Once more the State Government has shown that it has bought into an outdated model of co-operative federalism which is causing ongoing suffering on a massive scale to millions of animals.”

Brian Sherman AM and Katrina Sharman are available for interview. 

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