Australian Pork has released a video questioning the intentions of animal activists and shedding light on its own animal welfare standards.
Following recent scrutiny of the Australian food manufacturing's animal welfare standards (think Inghams, Pepe's Ducks, Luv-a-Duck, the live exports saga and Animals Australia's controversial bag campaign), the organisation supporting Australian pork producers has turned the tables on animal activists, questioning their commitment to animal welfare.
It's released a video, set inside a pig farm, which runs through how pigs are housed and treated at many Australian pork production facilities. It claims Australia boasts "some of the best pig raising standards in the world."
Titled Aussie Pig Farmers: Nothing to Hide, it shows an image of a baby in a cot, captioned with "Sometimes things designed for safety can appear cruel to the uninitiated."
A pork producer then runs through the fundamental elements of a farrowing crate, explaining that the sow has access to grain and water as well as a heater for feeding piglets and an added safety element which helps ensure piglets aren't accidentally crushed if the sow rolls onto them.
The video also makes some bold statements about animal activists, not only questioning their intentions but implying their conduct is often unethical and even illegal.
"Animal activists break into a farm, trespass and terrorise pigs at night," the video states. "They break strict biosecurity protocols, putting the animals' health and wellbeing at risk.
"If activists were serious about animal welfare they would work with industry."
This echoes a sentiment raised by farmers after supermarket giant Coles recently teamed up with activist group, Animals Australia, agreeing to sell their Make It Possible reusable bags in-store. Coles and Animals Australia were hit with such intense criticism from the industry that Animals Australia eventually asked Coles to withdraws the bags.
"It is a dark day for animal welfare in this country when a retailer’s support for an animal welfare initiative is vehemently opposed by the farming lobby," Animals Australia campaign director, Lyn White, said at the time.
The video concludes with the pork producer sharing his concerns about the future of the industry, should animal activists continue to threaten their livelihood.
"If Aussie farmers were shut down in producing Aussie pork, then where are we going to get our pork from?" he asks.
"If we can't produce pork in God's country, then God knows where we're going to get it from."
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