Letters: Vegan vigilantes should be jailed

Today readers have their say on the plague of vegan vigilantes, withdrawing students from NAPLAN tests and food safety.

Animal rights activists march in Melbourne. Picture: AAP Image/David Crosling

YOUR Editorial and Sean Leahy’s cartoon (C-M, Apr 9) were correct.

The vigilante vegan protesters should be held accountable for their militant activity disrupting beef business operators around the nation.

State governments need to up the ante on fines for these vegan purists who detest anything to do with the beef and livestock industry.

The livelihoods of thousands of Australians are more important than the “moral headbanging” and criminal acts of a few vegans claiming a higher purpose for their actions.

These moral vegan purists who despise anything that has to do with the human consumption of animal products are kidding themselves if they believe they will bring lasting change to Australians’ diets by their abhorrent vigilantism.

Some jail time and a prison diet may be the best deterrent for these green malcontents. A couple of months without tofu, soy milk or couscous would no doubt see some of these vegan vigilantes crumble and beg for mercy.

Paul Henderson, Wynnum

I THINK your Editorial, which recommends jail time for vegan demonstrators, is overkill.

Many thugs, thieves and other criminals who should be jailed receive a slap on the wrist by our revolving-door court system.

Nearly all of us support farmers and workers in the meat industry, so perhaps a more productive outcome involves communication between vegans and stakeholders, including police.

The vegan demonstrators’ current methodology is alienating the public and farmers while their message is lost in transit.

The public will accept sensible, non-combative, non-obstructionist demonstrations, as we all have the right to voice our opinions.

They will not accept violence, closing down major streets or invading farmers’ properties.

Tony Grigsby, Southport

IT BEGGARS belief that vegan animal activists are continuing their abusive, threatening and obnoxious behaviour towards farmers.

Now they are targeting abattoirs.

I don’t recall these animal-loving protesters offering to help the farmers bury their dead cattle after the recent floods in the state’s north.

Farmers have had to deal with drought, floods and now ferals.

I agree with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who called these cowardly, abusive bullies “green-collar criminals”.

Our farmers need our support, not harassment from eco-terrorists.

Helen Holdey, Brighton

THE vegan animal rights activists have done their cause more harm than good with their protests.

Their campaign is about forcing people into starvation by denying them the option of choosing to eat meat, chicken, seafood, eggs and dairy products.

They encourage illegal actions of harassment, intimidation, bullying, trespass and property damage to close down farms, food supply chain businesses, hotels, restaurants and cafes and put people out of work.

I enjoy recreational fishing, catching, cleaning, cooking and eating the seafood I catch, and these activists want to deny me that pleasure.

It seems to me they believe animal rights supersede human rights.

Kate Ingleby, Urangan

I WAS a vegetarian for eight years.

These days I have a more balanced diet inclusive of meat and fish (thanks to my wife).

At no point, then or now, would I arrogantly assume that the rest of the world must follow my lead.

Whether for ethical or dubious health reasons, this should always remain a personal choice, not to be foisted on the public by the far left’s latest round of overzealous activism.

Garry Callaghan, Collingwood Park

ONE of the basic pillars of our justice system is that all people are equal under the law.

What a joke. Vegan protesters

are treated with kid gloves by the police and magistrates while farmers and other small business owners are left to pick up the pieces and carry the cost.

If you protest outside an abortion clinic you will be met with the full force of the law, but if you are an animal rights activist you get a small fine, if you are charged at all.

George Orwell, in his book Animal Farm, wrote: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This is so true today.

Greg McKay, Dalby

THESE protesters say it’s OK to break “unjust” laws because it suits them.

I have an opinion on many laws and I find a few to be unjust.

However, if we all broke laws as we saw fit we would end up with something akin to Animal Farm.

I wonder how many of these protesters are dole recipients, who should be looking for jobs, not running riot on hard-working people’s properties.

Mick Gimaj, Woodgate

I HAVE no doubt that the overwhelming majority of Australians don’t give a damn what vegans do or eat.

So why do vegans spend so much time worrying what the rest of us eat?

We leave them alone to eat their beloved rabbit food. Please leave us alone to eat our meat.

Who do they think they are, trespassing on other people’s property or putting up posters in the meat section of supermarkets?

Have they any idea the number of Australians employed in the meat industry? They need to get a life and let others live theirs.

John McQueen, Redbank

I CALL on all carnivores to join me in protesting the impact of vegans on our farmed vegetables.

I recently passed a market garden and heard the cries of carrots ripped from the soil by their heads by a huge killing machine.

I saw many wilted silver beets left to hang dying and saw countless lettuce left to be consumed by swarming slugs, snails and other marauding grubs.

Why do we tolerate this just to feed the appetites of ravenous vegans? What are our governments doing about this?

Producers are using labels such as organic, fresh, crisp and ripe to hide the truth.

I call for a national boycott of all cafes and restaurants that have vegan menus.

Protesting vegans should travel to Africa and confront the prides of lions before they eat more wildebeests and zebras.

At home, let them protest against meat-eating dingoes, crocodiles and magpies.

Jim King, Maleny

I WONDER how many of the

animal rights activists are wearing or using animal products, such as shoes and belts.

Glenn Nicol, Chermside West

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School students practice for the NAPLAN test. Picture Mark Brake

NAPLAN FAILS STUDENTS

CONGRATULATIONS to all the principals, teachers and parents who are supporting the withdrawal of students from NAPLAN (C-M, Apr 9).

There is substantial evidence that this flawed test is having a deleterious effect on the delivery of education throughout the nation.

Not only is the data gathered misused by schools and the community, but there is a negative impact on students who are forced to undertake this bureaucratic exercise.

This testing regime, once designed as a diagnostic tool for individual schools, has become a monolithic academic activity that has, in many ways, stifled classroom creativity and introduced a level of dull conformity which cannot be underestimated.

The sooner the boycott of NAPLAN becomes widespread the better for the future of our students.

Steve Jenkins, Sinnamon Park

NAPLAN results provide valuable information about a child, which can be used for remedial action, as well as letting the teachers know what needs to be done for that child.

It is also a measure of how well our education system is performing and what needs to be looked at to improve various learning areas.

For this to happen, all students in the relevant year levels must participate.

Stephen Kazoullis, Highgate Hill

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DOUBLE DATE FOOD FOR THOUGHT

REGARDING the article “Would you like flies with that?” (C-M, Apr 9), there still seems to be confusion about the difference between a food product’s best-before date and expiry date.

In most instances, people would be fine eating food for a week after the best-before date, provided it was stored under the recommended conditions.

People who are starving, on a tight budget or homeless would be grateful for a packet of shaved ham just after the best-before date and would consider it an unnecessary waste to throw away good food.

The best-before date is a quality indicator that the food will be at its best if eaten on or before that date and it is not a health risk.

The expiry date, however, is a health risk indicator and the food should not be eaten on or after that date.

I have worked in the food industry, and businesses usually start discounting the product on the best-before date or prior, depending on their turnover.

I think products should have both the best-before date and the expiry date on them to ensure the balance between quality, wastage, health risks and disclosure are achieved.

Alasdair McBryde, East Brisbane

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