Page 12 - Sept

Animal Liberation Queensland releases never-before- seen pork industry footage.
The true victims of Australia’s pork industry, accord- ing to ALQ.
Over the BaconFest weekend, mobile billboards that picture the gentle sentient animals were scheduled to drive through Kingaroy. Photos: Animal Liberation Queensland
Ms Holly revealed that over a 10-month period, ALQ conducted drone in- spections above 44 Queens- land piggeries and found exposed pig carcasses at 19 sites – a rate of 43 percent.
“Mortality rates for pigs are among the highest for any farmed animal, and it’s hardly a surprise when you see the conditions these intelligent sentient animals both live and die in.”
T r o u b l i n g l y, A L Q a l s o reveals that astronomical numbers of pigs die in fac- tory farms before they reach the finishing – or slaughter – age of about six months.
Animal activists disrupt BaconFest
ANIMAL rights activists descended on Kingaroy, as the rural community prepared to host its annual BaconFest event from Au- gust 19-21.
along with critical environ- mental and climate change issues.
the Western Downs, Too- woomba, North Burnett, Fraser Coast, Scenic Rim and Goondiwindi regions.
taken on this evolution.”
A key tagline for bacon. org.au is ‘light up the dark- ness’, and activists have made it their mission to un- cover a side to Australian pig farming that will not be celebrated over the Bacon-
along with impregnation of a female sow using a ‘man- ually’ inserted catheter.
Animal Liberation Queensland launched a bold awareness campaign that deliberately coincided with the weekend’s pro- ceedings.
Findings from the in- dustry report were high- lighted by ALQ campaign manager Amanda Holly in a recent interview.
“We found numerous piles of dead pigs left out in the open to rot, to be predated upon by other ani- mals, and to release putrid and harmful fumes across neighbouring properties.
Fest weekend in Kingaroy. With contributions by former Queensland Gov- ernment principal scien- tist Gerard Wedderburn- Bisshop, key insights from ALQ’s pork industry report
ALQ describes how both boar and sow are sub- jected to extreme periods of confinement in a tiny stall, where these sensitive animals do not have even space to turn around.
ALQ’s intent being to re- veal the brutal realities of Australia’s pork industry that are often kept hidden from public view.
In an audacious move, ALQ registered exclusive use of the web domain bacon.org.au, which now shows never-before-seen footage captured at Aus- tralia’s largest pig abattoir and major employer in the region, Swickers.
are as follows:
The independent organi- sation recently compiled a 40-page industry report entitled ‘Bacon: everything the pork industry doesn’t want you to know’.
Factory farms are the ideal environment for bac- teria and disease, and in a world still recovering from the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, it is reasonable for Australians to expect a higher level of transpar- ency and accountability from the pig industry.
ALQ states that 90 per- cent of Australia’s pig herd are housed inside intensive factory farms, known as piggeries.
In many cases, a build- up of bacteria within crowded unhygienic con- ditions mean that disease outbreaks are difficult to prevent and control.
The report details a wide gamut of animal welfare issues plaguing Australian piggeries and slaughter- houses.
Over the BaconFest weekend, mobile billboards that picture the gentle sen- tient animals – referred by ALQ as the true victims of Australia’s pork industry – were scheduled to drive through Kingaroy.
Pigs typically spend every stage of their life – from birth until slaughter – confined inside barren sheds with very little space.
Despite industry guide- lines, deceased pig car- casses are often left to rot completely uncovered in open mass graves.
Human health concerns related to pork consump- tion are also laid bare,
Ms Holly said, “Austral- ia’s pig farming industry is hidden behind a veil of secrecy.”
“We believe Australia’s planning laws need urgent review, so that development approvals for environmen- tally and publicly harmful piggery developments and expansions are harder to obtain,” Ms Holly said.
These animals have virtu- ally no enrichment within such crowded conditions and this often leads to boredom, aggression and other unnatural stress re- sponses.
Improper handling of dead pigs can threaten groundwater, attract wild animals, risk the spread of disease and present major odour problems for rural communities.
The impact on animals
Stillbirth, crushing, starvation, injury and dis- ease are some of the most common causes of death.
“By maintaining a legal peaceful presence throughout Kingaroy, our activists aim to shine a light on industry practices that are considered ‘standard’, despite the appalling harm caused to animals, people and the environment.
“Health authorities also need to start treating bacon, ham and other processed meats – which are recog- nised Group 1 carcinogens – with the same seriousness as asbestos or cigarettes.
According to ALQ, most pigs are subjected to painful procedures, which are routinely performed without anaesthesia or pain relief.
“With huge death rates associated with intensive piggeries, the amount of animal mortalities is a major ecological and bio- security issue that Austral- ians deserve to be aware of,” Ms Holly said.
“Our team has spent a lot of time conducting re- search and investigations around Kingaroy and the surrounding South Burnett region.
Breeding has also been industrialised by pork in- dustry operators, with ar- tificial insemination being the most widely practised breeding method.
As the ALQ industry report states, pigs that do reach the finishing age of six months are trucked to slaughterhouses.
“We flew drones above intensive factory farms lo- cated here, as well as in
“Our report includes ex- amples of farmers over- seas who have successfully
This involves ‘manual stimulation’ of a male boar, usually by human hands,
Transportation is a highly stressful experience for * continued P13
“The good news is that with the right assistance from governments, pro- ducers have a compelling opportunity to increase their bottom line by tran- sitioning away from pig farming.
Teeth clipping, tail docking, ear notching, tag- ging and even castration are all commonly accepted industry practices.
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Page 12 – Australian Pork Newspaper, September 2022
www.porknews.com.au