Animal activists release concerning map tracking Aussie farms
AN ANIMAL rights group has released an interactive satellite map tracking Australian farms, encouraging the public to upload photos and videos “to force transparency on an industry dependent on secrecy”.
AN ANIMAL rights group has released an interactive satellite map tracking Australian farms, encouraging the public to upload photos and videos “to force transparency on an industry dependent on secrecy”.
The project, more than eight years in the making, has mapped nearly 6000 farms and invites anyone from the public to contribute more material.
This comes as The Weekly Times last week revealed animal activists were receiving monthly payments from the public, via a website, to break in to farms and steal livestock.
One activist, who receives more than $2000 a month, encouraged her 32,000 Instagram followers to “Google poultry farms, map them on a satellite … go back with a team late, wear balaclavas and check if the sheds are open”.
The new map targets hundreds of farmers and businesses, many of which have developed reputations and profiles for their high levels of animal welfare accreditation or environmental stewardship.
Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke told The Weekly Times “enough is enough”.
The VFF want the organisation’s charity status revoked and are calling on police to investigate the footage uploaded to the site and how it was obtained.
“We are transparent about what occurs,” Mr Jochinke said. “We don’t hide the fact we house animals.”
“The part of the story that doesn’t get told is that animals are looked after by a high standard and there’s extremely high parameters around conditions they’re housed in.
“If they’re doing it for animal welfare there’s already a process (through the department of agriculture).
“When they start targeting individuals’ businesses, that goes beyond the concern for the animal.”
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has slammed the map as anonymous farm shaming “with no real outcomes for animal welfare”.
Mr Littleproud said it could create an “attack map for activists”.
“This will potentially result in illegal behaviour by activists,” he said.
“Farms are people’s homes, not just their businesses.
“This potentially encourages activists to trespass and worse after being misled about the practices on that farm.
“Trespass also has the potential to cause significant biosecurity issues that ironically could lead to the death of the animal.”
Mr Littleproud said Australian farmers “deserve to be thanked, not have their addresses published and possible be harassed in their own homes”.
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