Animals Australia

The ship at the centre of the latest live export scandal that saw thousands of animals trapped inside for months earlier this year, has just left Australia— empty. After finally carrying 16,000 sheep and cattle on a gruelling journey to their deaths, the MV Bahijah returned to Australia on June 28th. The export company had applied to load 4,000 cattle for export to Israel, despite escalating conflict in the region. It’s believed this would have included 1,000 cattle who had been removed from the previous ill-fated shipment after being deemed not fit for transport. But over the weekend, we received word that the live export regulator has denied the exporter a permit to load Australian animals who would not only have endured an dangerous, weeks-long journey at sea but then slaughter that would be illegal under Australian law. While we welcome this decision by the Department, the fact that exporters are continuing to attempt to send shiploads of animals into the open ocean during times of increased danger and risk, is further evidence of why we have worked so hard to achieve a legislative end to live sheep export — and why the official end date (May 1st 2028) can't come soon enough.

UPDATE: After a full day in court challenging the gas killing of pigs, we now have a hearing date to defend our ‘standing’ or authority to sue, set for October. The issue of our standing runs deep into the heart of our case. By showing the Court how entrenched Animals Australia has been in driving animal welfare reform for pigs and all animals — from investigations, litigations, and legal complaints, to providing expert opinion on government committees, and public advocacy — we are able to hold up a mirror to the failures of the regulator we are suing. We are confident in our position, but there is still much to prepare so we’ll be making the most of every day until then. The ‘wheels of justice’ turn slowly but we’re in this for the long haul — and we’re grateful that you are too. While we’re embarking on this landmark legal case for the pigs, we are also representing you, our cherished donors and supporters. Your spirit and support are felt in every step we take.

Someone who wants to feel the Earth under their feet. Someone who wants freedom. Someone — not an egg laying machine.

Thank you for everything you're doing to make the world a kinder place for other animals.

UPDATE: Today, our legal team is heading to the Supreme court for another hearing for our landmark legal action challenging the gas killing of pigs. We expect today's hearing to go for most of the day and the best-case scenario is that it helps us progress towards the timetabling of a trial date. It's been another mammoth task to prepare with our team of Barristers and we are so grateful for our incredible donors for empowering us to pursue innovative legal strategies for animals. Ultimately, this is about challenging one of the cruellest killing methods of pigs in the world today. It is a global test case that could have broad-reaching ramifications for millions of animals. It's a case that deserves to be heard.

One year ago, the Australian Agriculture Ministers finally agreed to phase out battery cages — a decision set to spare millions of hens each year from a life on uncomfortable steel wire, crammed in so closely that they can’t spread their wings. Frustratingly, the year 2036 was given as the latest the phase out should come into effect in each state. Yet even with such a ridiculously distant end date, little progress has been made since towards ‘locking it in’ legally. Hens shouldn’t have to wait until 2036 to be given the most basic protections. Write to your Agriculture Minister now and tell them that an end date to cruel battery cages must be solidified in regulations, and that date must be as soon as possible: https://lnkd.in/gn-z9ii9

After a lengthy eight-year-long review process, Australian Agriculture Ministers finally agreed to ban battery cages – by 2036. It's now been one year since this clear commitment, but little progress has been made in legally solidifying this ban. Urge state leaders to free hens from cages (and sooner than 2036!) 👉 https://lnkd.in/gn-z9ii9

Pigs subjected to carbon dioxide gassing can experience respiratory distress, ‘air hunger’, anxiety and pain. It is widely used by the pork industry because it enables large numbers of pigs to be ‘processed’ at once — a system designed to increase profits. This is not only legal, it is routine in Australia’s pig meat industry.

Someone who wants to feel safe. Someone who needs his mum. But he will never know her 💔 Hens in the egg industry are killed when they’re around 18 months old and replaced with new females from hatcheries. While it may seem obvious that only female chickens can lay eggs, most people have never considered what happens to the males — they’re killed in their first day of life.

Most pigs in Australia spend their final moments gasping and fighting for air. There was never any public consultation around the use of CO2 gas stunning of pigs — if there had been, do you think this would have ever been approved?