Vegan protest over farm trespass laws as campaigners compared to aged care whistleblowers

Vegan activists opposed to tough new farm trespass laws have taken to the steps of the Victorian parliament, holding dead animals, in protest.

Vegan activists have taken to the steps of Victorian parliament holding dead animals in protest of controversial new farm trespass laws.

The Andrews government earlier this year introduced tough new penalties for activists and whistleblowers that expose cruelty by trespassing on Victorian farms.

The new legislation, which comes into effect from July 1, will see people slapped with on-the-spot fines of $1,272 for an individual and $8,178 for an organisation.

More serious offending could attract fines of up to $11,000 - or $55,000 for an organisation.

The Victorian government has boasted that the laws are the toughest of their kind in Australia and will deter people from trespassing on farms.

Vegan activists have taken to the steps of the Victorian parliament holding dead animals in protest of controversial new farm trespass laws. Picture: Supplied

The bill was introduced in response to a string of farm break-ins by animal activists, including at the Gippy Goat Cafe in Yarragon in 2018.

But activists say the new laws are too strict and act as a mechanism to protect the animal agriculture industry by covering up cruelty.

Vegan Rising spokeswoman Kristin Leigh said on Friday a group of activists stood outside a number of farms - that had been subject to cruelty allegations in the past - in a bid to voice the plight of animals.

“They’re still locked inside those sheds. They’re still struggling to breathe. They’re incarcerated,” she told the Herald Sun.

“A lot of them are crippled. They can’t get to food or water, they’re starving and dehydrated. A lot have broken bones, but that’s standard practice.”

The group then took its fight to the steps of state parliament, where they carried the bodies of lambs, goats, chickens, ducks and a bobby calf.

A dead calf was among the animals used as part of the protest. Picture: Supplied

Ms Leigh accused the state government of introducing the new laws to “target and criminalise the only people who are protecting farmed animals in this country”.

“Animals have no protection under the law,” she added.

“These new laws are a blatant attempt to restrict those who would expose the reality of how animals are treated on farms and to keep the public in the dark.”

The laws passed parliament with the support of most MPs.

Dead lambs, lambs, goats, chickens and ducks were also carried. Picture: Supplied

Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick said the “absolutely ridiculous” laws unfairly targeted activists and whistleblowers that attempted to draw attention to the industry.

“We’ve created a sub set of supposed criminals, whose only crime is to expose that cruelty,” he said.

“If this was to happen inside the aged care industry, we have acted in the past, we protected those people (whistleblowers) and we’ve lauded the people who actually exposed these things. It’s exactly the same in this situation.”