Funding battle: Activists outgun farmers in court and halls of power

Animals Australia dragged in $79m over the past five years to run campaigns and court cases to stop live exports and farming practices.

Animals Australia legal counsel Shatha Hamade (left) and director of strategy Lyn White have launched cases against gas stunning of pigs and dingo control in Victoria.

Farm lobby groups are being outgunned in the courts and halls of parliament by animal welfare and environmental groups raking in millions of dollars in donations and free legal support.

Australian Electoral Commission donor disclosures show Animals Australia dragged in $79 million over the past five years to run campaigns and court cases against wild dog control, kangaroo culling, live export, feedlots, poultry farming and abattoirs gas-stunning pigs.

AEC records also show the North Melbourne-based animal activist group spent $300,080 in 2021-22 and $515,879 in 2018-19 on election campaigning.

Carlton-based Australian Conservation Foundation, which has fought to lock up native forests and demanded more water to the Murray-Darling Basin environmental flows, pulled in $59m over the three years to June 30, 2023, while the GetUP lobby earned $56m in five years.

Meanwhile farmer groups face declining membership and revenue.

The Victorian Farmers Federation has lost 1011 members in just two years, forcing it to cut staff and cash out its Grains Group’s $9.4m deed poll.

The National Farmers’ Federation earned $9.1m last financial year and sold off its Canberra headquarters just over two years ago.

In contrast Animals Australia earned $15m in 2022-23, which was used to run sophisticated social and traditional media campaigns, support volunteers, run petitions and urge the public to email local members of parliament.

Australian Pork Limited chief executive Margo Andrae said animal activist groups were able to tap into a huge audience that did not go beyond the “oh my gosh” moment.

Instead of trying to understand the complexity of an issue, Ms Andrae said people were “so time poor (that) it’s easier to click on a photo, give money and feel better about yourself”.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Ben Bennett said Animals Australia had to be admired as a “well-oiled machine” that was very effective at getting its message across.

“We’re turning up with a water pistol and these guys have a bazooka,” he said.

NFF chief executive Tony Mahar said agri-political lobby groups had comparatively more funding on hand when all Australian groups were taken into consideration.

But, he said animal activist groups were “very nimble and have a way of tapping into community sentiment”.

VFF president Emma Germano said the problem was that while agri-political groups collected about $100m annually from farmers “we’re slicing the pie into lots of little pieces and then fight over the crumbs”.

Federal Nationals deputy leader Perin Davey said “environmental and animal rights organisations were raking in tens of millions of dollars, often by making emotive, dubious claims and then using those funds to go after legitimate businesses through both the courts and political lobbying”.

“When you look at where the funding is coming from for many of these organisations, big billionaire philanthropic trust funds are spending up big and writing it off tax,” Ms Davey said.

“The sheer volume of funds being raised again highlights the need for the charity and tax status of some of these big organisations to be reviewed as they are nothing more than big money-making machines.

“The tens of millions of dollars raked in by environmental and animal rights organisations is a perfect example of why it isn’t necessary for taxpayers to fund organisations like the Environmental Defenders Office.”

Animals Australia’s office told The Weekly Times its staff were too busy to respond to queries on its funding.