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20Oct05 - Pork Industry Government Funding Criticised
30May05 - Animals Australia seeks mandatory 'method of production' labelling for pork       products

18 August 2006

Animals Australia calls on Agriculture Ministers to abort the current Pig Code Review

Animals Australia (AA) has identified major flaws in the current national pig code review process, and the current ‘revised draft’ Code. In an the unprecedented step, AA has therefore written to each Minister and called for the current review of the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Pigs to be aborted, and a new and proper review process reinstituted.

The flaws in the process and the resultant draft Code included:

• The revised draft Code does not reflect the sound scientific evidence available on pig welfare (particularly in regard to breeding sow housing, and in regard to denial of freedom to express normal behaviours),
• Consequently, the revised draft Code fails to provide any significant welfare improvements especially for the breeding herd,
• The Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) circulated publicly with the draft Code contained mistakes of fact and was therefore misleading,
• The RIS was also flawed as it did not apply the appropriate analysis of the impact of the proposed legislation,
• A majority of ‘minimum standards’ proposed in the Code are likely to be unenforceable because of their uncertainty of expression,
• Public consultation on the draft Code was also defective and deficient through:
  • Failing to alert key stakeholders – consumers – to the opportunity to provide comment during the public consultation period
  • The presence of inaccuracies and ambiguities in the official survey response form making the resultant outcomes unreliable
  • The structure of the survey limited answers to a defined range of possible answers which does not constitute public consultation.
  • The nature of the questions within the survey acted to limit participation.

Animals Australia provided a detailed scientific and legal appraisal of the process and the resultant draft Code to Ministers in support of this call for the current review to be aborted.

14 July 2006

Complaint to Police re sows suffering in undersize stalls at Wasleys piggery in South Australia

A complaint to South Australia Police under the SA Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was lodged this week, alleging ill treatment and abuse of pregnant sows held in stalls at Wasleys piggery.

Video footage of hundreds of sows in stalls just 55 cm wide at Wasley’s piggery in South Australia, was shown on Today Tonight (Channel 7) across Australia over two nights this week. The piggery is one of the largest in South Australia, housing some 30,000 pigs and is part owned by Senator Amanda Vanstone and her husband.

The footage, taken anonymously last month, was assessed by leading international animal welfare expert Professor Donald Broom of Cambridge University. Professor Broom’s expert statement indicates that he believes it was an ‘abuse’ to keep the large sows in these extremely confining conditions, and the statement describes the difficulties the sows had in even lying down without encroaching on the space of sows in the adjacent stalls.

Wasleys’ management has issued statements in response to the complaint – indicating that their sow stalls are 10 cm shorter than the Code of Practice, but that the stalls
• ‘met the standards at the time of … installation’,
• ‘the minimum size [of the stalls] is only a suggestion’, and that
• ‘no piggery could afford to keep upgrading its equipment every time the code was updated’.

Contrary to those assertions, and an omission in the piggery’s public statements to date, is that the anonymous footage shows the sow stalls at Wasleys are just 55cm wide.
The facts are that:
• The Code of Practice for pig production was introduced in 1983, and has been reviewed just once in that time (a 2nd review is now underway).
• The ‘minimum space allowance’ for stalls housing pregnant sows has always (since 1983) indicated a minimum of 60cm width for stalls.
• The Code of Practice for pigs is a Regulation in South Australia, and the Minimum Space allowance’ table in that code states that minimum dimensions of individual stalls for adult pigs is 0.6 m x 2.0 m ‘clear space’.

Regrettably Wasleys’ piggery in South Australia is not alone – 95% of all the breeding pigs in Australia are kept in intensive indoor systems similar to Wasleys.

The pregnant sows go from the single stalls and/or indoor cement group pens into farrowing crates to give birth to their piglets. The farrowing crates give each sow just 0.5 m width by 2 m length (according to the Code) during the weeks that she nurses her piglets, and before she is re-inseminated and starts the cycle again.

Police investigation:

We trust that a thorough investigation will be undertaken by the Police of the facilities and practices at this piggery.

Screencaptures from the footage taken at Wasleys piggery

Relevant Links:

5 June 2006 >>
Leading ethicist condemns (draft Code) outcome of national pig welfare review

1 June 2006 >>
Draft Pig Code of Practice condemns pigs to further misery

19th December 2005

SaveBabe.com celebrity supporter Jackie O' will appear in this week's issue of Womans Day magazine in an advertisement which highlights the correlation between Christmas hams and the suffering of the animals who were slaughtered to provide these products. The ad features Jackie cuddling SaveBabe.com's ambassador piglet Bella and is quoted "If you love animals, here's what you should know before buying your Christmas ham".

Womans day reaches an amazing four million readers every issue - so if you don't have it already, grab yourself a copy of the mag and donate it to a local doctor's or vet's waiting room, or a cafe - where it can be read by as many people as possible.

Click here to view the ad (pdf)

5th December 2005

Voiceless has published a report on the NSW Pig Industry called 'From Paddocks to Prisons'. We highly recommend this report, which offers a detailed and referenced insight into current welfare issues associated with intensive farming of pigs in NSW as well as viable alternatives and surrounding issues.
With the help of Daisy the pig in her tailor-made 'I am not Christmas Ham' jacket and patron Hugo Weaving, Voiceless attracted some great media attention at the launch of this report, which is endorsed by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Compassion in World Farming, Humane Society International, and Animals Australia.
(to read some of the articles, see Voiceless' media page)

Click here to download the 'From Paddocks to Prisons' report

August 2005

Leading Sydney-based advertising agency Loud has come on board to help the SaveBabe.com campaign. Loud has an impressive portfolio, with clients including ING and IMAX, and will now provide their invaluable creative and marketing expertise to assist SaveBabe.com . Loud's creative team has already come up with a number of brilliant creative concepts designed to highlight the suffering of pigs in factory farms and empower consumers to create change through their supermarket choices.

September 2005

Promotional postcard printing and distribution service Avant Cards has provided SaveBabe.com with wonderful support by sponsoring 60,000 cards highlighting the campaign. The postcards, featuring beautiful 'Wilbur' pigs Daisy and Lily were distributed throughout Australia in a number of outlets. Ten thousand cards were supplied directly to Animals Australia for the specific strategic use of our supporters. These gorgeous cards are perfect to send in with, or instead of Christmas cards - please contact the office and we will gladly send some out to you!

June 2005

'Charlotte's Web' helps SaveBabe.com!

'Charlotte's Web', the famous children's story about saving Wilbur the pig from slaughter, is soon to appear on movie screens around the world. Created in the style of 'Babe', the animals will tell this famous story through the 'magic of Hollywood'. The animals will receive some notable help from Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, John Cleese, Jennifer Garner, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates and Reba McIntyre who have ehthusiastically provided their voices to bring this story to life. The joint Paramount Pictures, Walden Media and Nickelodeon Movies production has been filmed in Melbourne over the past nine months. Child superstar Dakota Fanning is playing the role of Fern, who saves the life of the new-born 'Wilbur'.

Bernie Williams (right), 'Charlotte's Web's Executive Producer and passionate animal advocate received a SaveBabe.com leaflet from one of the Charlotte’s Web crew. Upon learning of plight of pigs in Australian intensive piggeries, he soon phoned the Animals Australia office to ask how he might be able to help. This phone call has led to a unique alliance being formed with US-based Paramount Pictures. Animals Australia has assisted in finding caring homes for all of the 43 piglets who appear as 'Wilbur' in the movie, which had originally been saved from a life in an intensive piggery. In return for this assistance, Paramount Pictures has made a donation to the SaveBabe.com campaign. This donation will be used to fund further advertisements highlighting the plight of pigs in intensive farms.

Visit the official Charlottes Web homepage

Below: Some of the 'Wilbur's' in their new homes

1st June 2005

Bella visits country Victoria

Ambassador pig Bella (aka 'Pompy') has been busy touring country Victoria recently, helping to highlight the plight of her species. Along with mum Pam Ahern (pictured below left, with Bella in Greensborough, and right in Bendigo) and dedicated volunteers from the Ballarat Organisation for Animal Rights (above left in Greensborough) beautiful Bella is still attracting pats and much attention wherever she goes. Importantly, she is teaching people how truly beaufiful a pig can be!

25th May 2005

Foxtel presenter Joel Betts offers his support to SaveBabe.com

After becoming aware of how pigs suffered within intensive industries, Foxtel presenter Joel Betts has signed on to help the campaign as our new celebrity supporter.
Joel has a deep passion for health and animal rights; a combination of which led to him becoming a vegan almost ten years ago.
We thank Joel for his support of the campaign, and are thrilled that he has offered to help highlight the plight of pigs in intensive facilities in Australia.

23rd May 2005

Street paper The Big Issue is read by almost 100,000 people every fortnight - and the latest issue's cover story is focussed on the factory farming of animals and in particular, the intensive farming of pigs and chickens.

If you live in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane look out for the magazine, or to find a vendor near you go the Big Issue website www.bigissue.org.au.

9th April 2005

Yen magazine - a wonderful glossy magazine for thinking women has hit newsagents this week with a three page feature (and full page advertisement) on the SaveBabe.com campaign. Yen's entire editorial highlights the SaveBabe.com campaign and the magazine has started a reader supported petition to send to supermarkets and butchers to call on them to stop supporting the intensive pig industry.

Please purchase a copy of the magazine. It is one that definitely needs to be on tables in waiting rooms everywhere, so that as many people as possible can read the facts about this barbaric industry and be empowered to assist in ending the unacceptable confinement that pigs endure.

Already Yen has been receiving terrific feedback with readers thanking them for alerting them to the cruelty of factory farming and committing not to purchase cruelly produced products.

Our sincere gratitude goes to Yen, a magazine that reaches over 50,000 Australians, for their commitment to ensuring their readers are in a position to make informed and ethical choices.

To read the article click here

To view the full-page advertisement (pdf) click here

4th April 2005

Many of you will have already seen the eye-catching hard-hitting SaveBabe.com billboards (above) which went up in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth during the past two weeks. These billboards which question whether customers 'Still feel like bacon?' on viewing the graphic photo showing the confinement endured by breeding sows, will be up for at least the next month. You can see them in their full 6 metre x 3 metre versions at :

Brisbane

346 Sandgate Road, Albion

Wynnum Road, Wynnum

Sydney (railway stations)

Platform 24 Central

Platform 4 Town Hall

Platform 5 Wynyard

Platform 1 Bondi Junction

Platform 4 Illawarra Hurstville Station

618 New Canterbury Road, Hurlstone Park

Melbourne

Spencer Street, City

Russell Street, City

Elgin & Lygon Street, Carlton

223 Queens Parade, Clifton Hills

Adelaide

North East Road, Walkerville

South Road, Hilton

Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Hilton

76 Norwood Parade, Norwood

Cross Road, Edwardstown (funded by AL SA)

Brighton Road, Seacliff (funded by AL SA)

Perth

178 William Street, Northbridge

292 James Street, Perth

We have been receiving a terrific response to the billboards with more and more people becoming aware and expressing concern about the lives endured by pigs in factory farms. It has again been reinforced that when consumers are informed they are horrified, both by the suffering of these animals and that they have been unwittingly supporting the practices of this industry by purchasing cruelly-produced products.

This has shown us the importance of the SaveBabe.com campaign and in informing and empowering people to realise that they can make this world a kinder and more compassionate place for animals and all, simply through the choices that they make as individuals. The intensive pig industry believes that Australians don't prioritise the welfare of animals in this country to the extent where they will avoid products known to be cruelly produced. There is only one way to prove them wrong in their assessment of us as individuals and as a nation.

Spreading the message of SaveBabe.com to all corners of the country is crucial to create change. We can't do this without your help, so please contact us for leaflets or cd's so that you always have needed information on hand. You never know when the opportunity will arise to inform others and head them to our SaveBabe.com website to assess this industry from themselves.

Of equal importance is for all those who care to flood the two major retailers of factory farmed pork, bacon and ham products - Woolworths and Coles - with their views. With a combined 80% market share of sales these giant companies can influence and educate consumers to purchase healthy, environmentally friendly products in which no animal has suffered – whilst demanding an end to the cruel factory farming of animals.

Currently, both Coles and Woolworths (called Safeway in Victoria) on being contacted by concerned consumers are advising customers to contact Australian Pork Limited (APL) which represents pig producers. Initially their response had been to defend supplying products from factory farms by stating that they complied with the industry code of practice. However, when further challenged by the knowledge that this code allows and endorses cruel practices, they are now seeking to deflect community concerns to APL.

However, it is important that we do not accept this deflection of their responsibility. The fact remains that as the major purchasers of factory farmed products Woolworths and Coles are both accepting the current standards that cause such suffering and are underpinning the ongoing viability of the intensive pig industry which uses these practices.

It is important that both parties continue to hear this message from concerned members of the community.

You can help enormously by either emailing or writing to Coles and Woolworths politely stating the above; the responsibility that they as retailers have and that by continuing to be the major purchasers of factory farmed pork products their firms are supporting animal cruelty.

Coles can be contacted by email through the 'contact us' function at their website www.coles.com.au.

Alternately letters can be sent to

Mr Gerry Masters

Managing Director Coles

PO Box 480

Glen Iris, Victoria 3146

Woolworths can be contacted by email through the 'contact us' function at their website www.woolworths.com.au.

Alternatively letters can be sent to

Mr Michael Luscombe

Director of Supermarkets

2/30 Dursley Rd

Yennora NSW 2161

Please write these emails or send these letters. Every one received is counted and logged. The image of retailers in this competitive age is of crucial importance to them. It is not enough for them to state that they have environmental and welfare friendly policies - consumers need to see evidence of this.

As always - thank you to all those who are helping to spread awareness of this important issue. Every person acting in support of this campaign whether informing those around them in their lives or in the broader community is helping us to provide the crucial voice that these animals so desperately need.

27th December 2004

James and Bella on the Gold Coast courtesy Gold Coast Bulletin Newspaper

James Cromwell’s SaveBabe tour attracts enormous media interest.

Australians commit to making cruelty free choices and not purchasing intensively farmed pork.

Since the great publicity gained through the support of particularly Jackie O’, Suzie Wilks, Jessica Napier and Rebecca Gibney, when the SaveBabe.com was launched on 1 December (newspaper articles in Hobart, Geelong, Ballarat, in the Melbourne Herald Sun and Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph, and TV in Tasmania), the message that pigs suffer has continued to make headlines in the 2nd half of December.

This week there have been a number of articles in community newspapers, and importantly the Christmas edition of New Idea magazine ran a stunning photo spread of Jackie O’ and little Bella piglet. As part of the popular magazine’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ feature, Jackie enthusiastically joined Bella to raise awareness of the suffering of breeding pigs in Australia, and to ask readers to support SaveBabe.com.

The whirlwind tour of James Cromwell [the Hollywood actor who played ‘Farmer Hoggett’ in Babe the movie] created huge interest.

James and the Animals Australia team conducted 4 media conferences, numerous public appearances and photo shoots with little Bella, and we have actually lost count of the radio interviews James has done!

Bella, with the wonderful care and guidance of Sharon Holden, has enthralled all those whom she has met. Her first appearance on national television – on the Channel 9 ‘Today’ show (with James and Sharon of course!) was amazing and throughout the following week James oftened ‘played second fiddle’ to the charismatic piglet.

Sydney - Whilst the day began with the Today show live appearance, followed by an in-studio interview at 2GB, the Sydney Opera House was then the venue for the first media conference. This was a first for the Opera House – never previously having a pig grace the foyer of the Concert Hall!

After a stroll in the Pitt Street Mall, whilst SaveBabe.com leaflets were distributed in their thousands by willing volunteers, it was again onto a plane, this time to Brisbane.

Brisbane – A similar sequence in Brisbane with the day starting with an in-studio interview (4BC), before another recorded interview and then a Press Conference. This time it was the Hilton Hotel that hosted James, piglet and Bella, and team – another fist for a piglet and for the Hotel. Newspapers (The Australian and The Brisbane Courier Mail) and radio representatives covered this conference and again the photographers couldn’t get enough of ‘Farmer Hoggett’ and little Bella. The photos that ran in the Courier Mail and the Melbourne Herald Sun (another associated News Ltd paper) showed the wonderful rapport between our two stars.

Gold Coast – Our third media conference was hosted by the Animal Welfare League Qld at their shelter on the Gold Coast. Bella and little Bernie (a 7-week old pup) enjoyed their romp in the grass and photoshoot with James. The media conference was covered by the local Channel 9 TV news, and by both the Gold Coast Bulletin and the Gold Coast Sun, and James spoke with numerous radio stations again.

Perth – Bella ‘the flying piglet’ flew with the team across Australia (her 10th flight – a lot for an 8 week-old piglet) to Perth to meet the locals and to do more media appearances with James. Again a media conference was held after several in-studio radio interviews. A great story appeared on Channel 10 nationally that night (22 December) and included video footage of cramped conditions in pregnant sow stalls and in farrowing crates, and vision of the very tall James (6ft 7in) walking Bella on a lead across St Georges Terrace in Perth city. Further radio interviews followed throughout the day.

AA’s Lyn White and Glenys Oogjes have also provided both ‘news grabs’ for radio and more extensive interviews (e.g. ABC Country Hour nationally 23/12).

Added to our Billboards which are now up around Australia (with the assistance of the Voiceless - the foundation for animals) and advertisements in community newspapers in most capital cities, this further media coverage has meant that we have been inundated with thousands of visits to the SaveBabe.com website and messages of support thanking Animals Australia for alerting them to the suffering of these animals and committing not to purchase intensively farmed pork.

The launch of SaveBabe.com has provided us with the platform from which this campaign will continue to grow in 2005 to ensure real and lasting change for pigs.

20th December 2004

Grab your copy of this week's New Idea magazine, featuring beautiful photos of 'dancing partners' Jackie O' and Bella piglet.

Just when you thought Bella couldn't get any cuter... wait till you see her in a pink tutu! Bella posed with her celebrity 'Aunt' Jackie as part of the "Dancing for Dollars" special Christmas feature.

Right: Bella enjoying a cuddle from radio presenter Jackie O'

17th December 2004

James Cromwell, star of the movie 'Babe' arrives in Australia for a whirlwind tour this week.

See James and Bella piglet on Channel 9's Today Program, this Monday the 20th December at 8:40am.

And watch the media this week - particularly in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as he and Bella tour those cities.

James and Bella's Tour Dates

SYDNEY

Monday 20th December

Pitt Street Mall - 1:30pm

BRISBANE

Tuesday 21st December

Queen Street Mall - 11am

PERTH

Wednesday 22nd December

Hay Street Mall - 12pm

1st December 2004

SaveBabe.com was launched by Animals Australia in December 2004 to highlight the suffering of intensively farmed pigs in Australia.

The goal of SaveBabe.com is to inform and empower. We believe that most Australians are completely unaware of the conditions hundreds of thousands of pigs endure in ‘factory farms’ in Australia, and that many consumers would be horrified if they knew that they were supporting this industry through purchasing their products.

Animals Australia believes that, if fully informed, many Australians would choose not to support this method of ‘farming’ animals and to assist in creating needed change.

Our efforts will be focused on ensuring that Australians are in the position of making informed choices when shopping.

Our grateful thanks go to ‘Voiceless’ for their assistance with billboards, and to a wonderful and compassionate Australian (who wishes to remain nameless) through who’s generosity the commencement of this campaign has been made possible.

December 2004

- SaveBabe.com billboards will appear in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Perth

- advertisements in newspapers informing consumers

- public appearances by ‘Bella’ – SaveBabe.com’s piglet ambassador

- photo shoots by Suzie Wilks, Jackie O’ and Jessica Napier with ‘Bella’ (stay tuned for publications where these will appear!)

- James Cromwell arrives and tours Australia with Bella!