Animal activists accused of intimidating pork industry staff, farmers

The pork business has slammed animal activist teams in an emotional look in parliament.

Australian Pork Restricted chief government Margo Andrae instructed Senate Estimates final night time animal activists had harassed her group at their workplace on social media and made quite a few calls to her private cellphone.

She mentioned farmers weren’t protected to go “right down to your sheds and open these doorways” for concern of activists’ motion.

Her feedback got here hours after it was introduced a Victorian parliamentary committee would probe pig welfare.

Earlier this yr, footage was released of pigs going to slaughter filmed when animal activists broke into pig abattoirs.

In April, seven animal activists were charged with trespassing after they allegedly broke into an abattoir in north-east Victoria and chained themselves to equipment.

Posing as tradies

Ms Andrae mentioned activists had gained entry to the farmer-owned analysis and business physique workplace by posing as plumbers and hiding within the bogs.

“It’s appalling, and this behaviour shouldn’t be supported,” she instructed the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport committee.

“They’ve taken images of my group celebrating Worldwide Ladies’s Day, [and] put it on separate social media and known as them murderers.

She mentioned she had additionally obtained private threats and sooner or later fielded 86 calls to her cell phone, many from activists.

Ms Andrea mentioned farmers have been additionally being focused and mentioned producers have been anxious they “can’t stroll right down to your sheds and open these doorways confidently considering you might be protected”.

“It needs to be known as out, or there shall be no farmers sooner or later as a result of they won’t be recreation to stroll out their entrance doorways.

“It’s intimidation, it’s bullying, and it must be known as out.”

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