The ACT Government has passed legislation that bans sow stalls, battery cages and the de-beaking of chickens throughout the territory.
The move has been welcomed by Greens minister, Shane Rattenbury, who stated that the legislation has sent out an important message to producers that employ factory family practices in the rest of the country.
'To ban these elements of factory farming gives me great joy but I understand there is more to be done,'' he told The Canberra Times.
Although the legislation is only enforced within the ACT, Rattenbury says that 70 percent of laying hens across the nation are still confined to battery cages, often in spaces no larger than an A4 piece of paper.
''These are living feeling creatures capable of experiencing fear, pain and distress,'' he said. ''I find these statistics shocking.''
In contrast, the Liberal deputy leader Alistair Coe voted against the bill, stating that it was ‘redundant’ as the ACT had no intensive pig farms, or battery egg farms. He also said that Labor’s support of the bill demonstrated that the party’s agenda had been influenced or ‘hijacked’ by the Greens, SMH reports.
The new legislation will attract fines for up to $35,000 for corporations and $7,000 for individuals.