From Label to Liable: Scams, Scandals and Secrecy - Voiceless

2. ANIMAL PROTECTION AND THE NEW
CONSUMER REVOLUTION
I. A growing movement
a) Each year more than 540 million farm animals
are raised in Australia for food or food production
purposes. Most of these animals never live to see
the sun or feel the earth under their feet. The
overwhelming majority spend their lives confined
indoors, where they are denied their natural
behaviours and interactions and are subject to
mutilations without pain relief.
b) Until recently, the suffering of farm animals has
largely occurred behind closed doors; however in
recent times public awareness about the suffering of
animals has increased. This has led to marked changes
in the community’s attitudes towards animals.
c) The animal protection movement has been
growing in size and legitimacy, both in Australia and
around the world. It is now comparable in force to
the environmental movement 20 years ago. Back
then, environmentalists were considered ‘radical
greenies’. Today, almost 3 million Australians donate
time or money to help protect the environment
and 89% of Australians purchase environmentally
friendly products. 6
d) The animal protection movement is following
suit and animal protection is becoming a concern
of many mainstream Australians. For example,
Australia’s peak animal protection body, Animals
Australia, has experienced more than 400% growth
in its support base in the past three years. 7 Other
indicators that public perceptions of animals are
changing include:
i) A survey carried out by Roy Morgan Research
revealed that the percentage of Australians who
consider animal welfare and cruelty to animals to
be an important social issue increased from 29%
to 54% between 1994 and 2000. 8
ii) In the 2005-06 budget, the Federal
Government allocated $6 million to the
implementation of an Australian Animal Welfare
Strategy, 9 designed to achieve an enhanced
national approach to animal welfare. 10
iii) In the 2006-07 budget, the Federal
Government introduced legislation intended to
create a new deductible gift recipient category
for animal welfare. 11
iv) In a 2006 national survey, participants
identified factory farming practices and
treatment of livestock as amongst the most
prominent issues in Australian animal welfare. 12
e) This change in public sentiment towards the
suffering of animals is not confined to Australia. In
fact, support for the animal protection movement
is gathering momentum well beyond our shores.
For example:
i) North America’s largest and most powerful
animal protection organisation, The Humane
Society of the United States (HSUS), has nearly
10 million members. 13 It seeks to create
meaningful social change for animals and to fight
cruelty and animal abuse in all its forms through
education, litigation and lobbying. 14
6 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Environmental Issues: People’s Views and Practices, 24 November 2004 .
7 Glenys Oogjes, Executive Director, Animals Australia, pers comm, 15 December 2006.
8 Meat and Livestock Australia, Animal Welfare Issues Survey 2000, March 2002, 6.
9 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Commonwealth Government, National Implementation Plan of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy,
(2006) .
10 Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Commonwealth Government, Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, (2005)
.
11 Although this legislation was not intended to enable all animal protection organisations to attract funds from individuals and family foundations
(registered as prescribed private funds), its introduction indicates that the government is increasingly willing to recognise the community’s interest in
animal welfare. See Tax Laws Amendment (Measures No. 3) Bill 2006, Item 4.1.6.
12 TNS Social Research Consultants, Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare, July 2006, 3.2.
13 The Humane Society of the United States, About Us .
14 Ibid.
From Label to Liable Lifting the veil on animal-derived food product labelling in Australia 7