At 11 am today the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal gave its decision after 2 long days of hearing the application by Australian Society for Kangaroos to stop this year’s kangaroo cull, determining to approve the cull but on the basis that the permissible kill numbers be reduced by more than 200 animals. The Panel…
In 2010 the Panel raised its detailed concerns over an extended period with the ACCC over marketing claims by poultry producers that their meat chickens had been ‘free to roam’ in large sheds. The ACCC subsequently initiated proceedings against Turi Foods, Baiada (owner of Steggles and Lilydale Free Range Chickens), Barrter and the Australian Chicken…
Our National Co-ordinator, Ana Smietanka, recorded a radio interview during the week to be broadcast tomorrow, Saturday 6 July, on http://www.pettalkradio.com.au/. Our Chair Graeme McEwen recorded a 30 minute interview during the week to be broadcast on Sunday 7 July between 1-2pm on Melbourne radio station 3CR and afterwards available to listen by podcast on freedomofspecies.org.
Doug won at VCAT on 2 July 2013 and was returned home later that day. The VCAT member preferred the evidence of experienced veterinarian Dr. Jack Ayerbe and dog judge David Lowe to that of the two Mooney Valley local laws officers. VCAT found that Doug’s length, height, head, eyes, neck, feet, forequarters, hindquarters, loin…
Late this afternoon the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal directed that the stay applications of the ASK and Animal Liberation ACT be adjourned for a contested hearing beginning on 8 July, with the matter expected to take two to three days. The cull in which up to 1,455 kangaroos were expected to be killed was…
The Panel assembled a legal team of Sydney senior and junior counsel instructed by international law firm, DLA Piper, to apply to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal this afternoon on behalf of Australian Society for Kangaroos to injunct the ACT kangaroo cull due to commence it was thought this evening. During the hearing it…
The Barristers Animal Welfare Panel intervened this afternoon to help secure a stay of execution of Kerser, pending filing of appeal papers. The Panel has agreed to arrange counsel to conduct the appeal. Whilst no comment can be made on the Kerser case, you can click here to view the ABC TV 7.30 program interview with our…
A Sydney abattoir has received a $60,000 fine for for what Magistrate Margot Stubbs characterised as “sickening” cruelty. For the full story click here.
Bahrain Feed lot – Sheep handlers with training handling sheep Photo courtesy of Animals Australia The Australian Greens have introduced a bill for the Office of Animal Welfare. Below are excerpts from the media release from today: The Australian Greens have introduced a bill into the House of Representatives today to establish an independent Office…
Above right: The Draize eye irritancy test. UPI/ Bettman Archive photo. Australian Competition & Consumer Law News reports that Choice has found that some cosmetics companies that advertise their products as “cruely free” are in fact testing their cosmetics on animals in order to be able to sell those products in China. For the full…
Still from media coverage available here Bob Irwin and conservationist Colin Riddell have launched the Animal Coalition with Sea Shepherd. Already the Animal Coalition has signed 28 wildlife groups including Sea Shepherd, Animals Australia and RSPCA Qld. Together, they will fight for better wildlife protection by calling on the total ban on hunting and culling of more than…
More than 800 ducks, many endangered, were killed and abandoned by hunters in an act criticised by Game Victoria as ‘appalling’. The slaughter embarrassed even the most hard-headed of hunters. More than 800 abandoned duck carcasses that shooters did not bother to pick up. At least 150 endangered ducks killed, many among Australia’s rarest. And other…
The controversial live exports trade is facing further scrutiny with fresh allegations of cruelty, this time concerning Australian goats and cattle in Malaysia.Already reeling from footage of Australian cattle being brutally slaughtered in Egypt, footage has emerged of goats being stuffed into sacks and put in the boot of a sedan in Malaysia. You can…
Photo from The Age online. ‘Cattle wait in Darwin stockyards. Photo: Michele Mossop’ The Australia Livestock Exporters’ Council has voluntarily suspended live export to Egypt following the release of new footage of animal cruelty. You can view the ABC 7.30 Report’s story on 6 May 2013 and the footage here. You can read the Egypt trade suspension…
Here is the link to the Seven News report this evening on the annual Warrnambool (western Victoria) Grand National Steeplechase. The report’s video shows two heavy falls by horses. They were apparently uninjured this time. But in the five years to 2011, more than sixty horses have lost their lives in jumps racing events In Victoria and…
Photo courtesy from Stock and Land article. The results of the Industry Government Implementation Group’s review into the export of breeder livestock are out. You can read the full report in this Stock and Land newspaper report.
Ruth Hatten (Legal Counsel for Voiceless), Antoine Goetschel (Guest Speaker) and Anastasia Smietanka (National Co-ordinator) Antoine Goetschel, Meg Good and Ruth Hatten Congratulations to our Tasmanian co-ordinator, Meg Good, our National Co-ordinator, Anastasia Smietanka and our Secretariat members Jed Goodfellow (NSW) and Aaron Timoshanko (SA) for their insightful lectures at the Voiceless Law Lecture Series…
The WTO concluded its hearings on Europe’s ban on seal products on Tuesday 30 April 2013. The challenge under GATT was initiated by Canada and Norway. No report by the WTO Panel is expected for some months. In addition, last Thursday 25 April 2013 the European General Court upheld Europe’s ban on commercial seal products.…
Sheep being transported. Photo courtesy of RSPCA Australia. The Panel notes with deep concern how the Standards and Guidelines developing under the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy seem bound to perpetuate poor welfare standards for farm animals. The first Standards and Guidelines, Standards and Guidelines for Land Transport of Livestock, are a shameful first case in point. It…
Photo courtesy of ‘National Geographic Photo of the Day Collection 2001-2009? available from Phombo.com The ICJ has announced that the public hearing dates for the whaling case initiated by Australia, would be from 26 June 2013 to 16 July 2013 at The Hague. You can read the media coverage here. You can read the ICJ Press Release here.
JAPAN’s fisheries minister has blamed “sabotage” by the Sea Shepherd anti-whaling group for a record low catch of just over 100 whales from this season’s Antarctic hunt. You can read the full article here.
You can find the 60 Minutes Story ‘Roam Free’ and footage of the inside of meat chicken sheds here. You can view the reporter discussion here.
Photo courtesy of The Age. Caption: ‘Disturbing: an abattoir worker lifts a turkey above his head before slamming the bird to the ground.’ Footage has been obtained by Animal Liberation NSW of alleged cruelty to turkeys at a poultry processing abattoir in NSW. The footage has been handed to police. You can view the Lateline coverage of…
‘Pekin Ducks’ courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (Katie Chodil) The Panel and Animal Liberation NSW last year raised their concerns with the ACCC about the marketing claims of major duck producer, Luv-a-Duck. On 15 March 2013 the ACCC filed proceedings in the Federal Court against Luv-a-Duck Pty Ltd alleging false,misleading and deceptive conduct in relation to the…
Photo courtesy of The Australian. Original picture from AAP. Justice Anthony Kennedy of the US Supreme Court has refused the application by US- based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to dissolve an interlocutory injunction granted by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals prohibiting the group from sailing within 500 metres of Japanese whaling vessels in the Southern Ocean.…