Farmers’ open letter to Michelle Bridges on ag-gag laws

CELEBRITY fitness trainer Michelle Bridges has been given a tongue-in-cheek challenge by farming bodies: let’s film you all day and see how you like it.

Michelle Bridges, in Bellevue Hill, today, with some of the fruit people have been eating in her 12 week program. (Pics Justin Lloyd) A major milestone will be achieved early next week - Aussies will have lost one million kilos (through running far enough to go to the moon and back five times, doing 30 million burpees and 12,000 hours of wall sits, telling more than 900k excuses where to go, following 4.3 million recipes and eating 3 million bananas!) through Michelle Bridges' 12 week program. NSW has lost the most weight of any of the states, shedding more than 279,000kg.

CELEBRITY fitness trainer Michelle Bridges has been given a tongue-in-cheek challenge by farming bodies: let’s film you all day and see how you like it.

Bridges, a regular on Ten’s Biggest Loser series, has been slammed over an opinion piece calling for Australians to resist US “ag-gag” laws banning whistleblowers from taking footage exposing animal cruelty.

There are no such laws being introduced in Australia but Bridges has warned farmers are seeking to bring them here.

That’s raised the ire of agriculture think-tank the Australian Farm Institute, which has written an open letter to the celebrity fitness guru accusing her advocating breaking-and-entering.

IN FULL: The letter to Michelle Bridges

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AU NATURAL: Michelel Bridges goes make-up free

In the letter, a farmer referred to as “Bill” writes: “Apparently you don’t like the law, because you think people should be able to illegally enter farms and livestock facilities and plant secret cameras around the place, and then come back later and break in again and retrieve the cameras and the video footage.

“I was pretty cranky about what you wrote because the people breaking into farms in the middle of the night have been terrifying farm families (farms are also where farm families live) and also breaking biosecurity rules that prevent the animals getting diseases.

“Why they are bothering to break into these farms is a bit of a mystery — most of the local farmers I know are more than happy to have visitors call in, and so much the better if they want to stay a few days and help out.

“You seem to think it’s OK to break into a farm and secretly film what is happening.”

The institute has challenged Bridges to be filmed all day and see how farming families would feel at the privacy violation.

Strong opinions ... Michelle Bridges has backed a campaign by the RSPCA for organic eggs in the past.

“The way I see it, if I was going to send you $200 for fitness and lifestyle advice, I would want to be sure that the advice was coming from someone who actually takes their own advice,” the letter reads.

“And the only way I can see to make sure you always follow your own advice would be for surveillance cameras to be put in your home, and for other cameras to follow you around and keep track of what you eat and drink and how much exercise you do, and for that video footage to be made available to all your customers.

“That way they could be sure that you really do all the exercise you recommend and only consume the right food and drink, and that you don’t cheat by taking a few weight loss pills or having a bit of cosmetic surgery done to keep you looking good.

Fitness guru ... Michelle Bridges from The Biggest Loser on Channel 10.

“So, what about it Michelle? I’m happy to become your customer and take on your “12 week body transformation” course, but only if I can be absolutely sure you take your own advice, which means you will need to arrange video surveillance of yourself around the clock that your customers can check to make sure you’re not cheating.

“Of course it will be a bit hard for me to see the video or take you advice if you post it online, but I’m sure you could send it out on a DVD every week or so.

“Looking forward to being your customer,

“Bill Farmer.”

The institute’s executive director Mick Keogh says the letter was penned as a lighthearted response to a serious issue.