Friday I attended the Brisbane leg of the Voiceless law lecture series. Whilst it was good to see so many people enthusiastic about animal rights and protection at a legal level, I still believe that we need to do more to promote this at a consumer level.
For example, on page 5 of Brisbane’s City News issue 346, there is a little article about the Brisbane based Charity, Youngcare. This organisation has been named beneficiary of a Red Angus steer that has been named Gus. This sentient being has been donated by the Red Angus Society of Australia for auction at this year’s ‘Ekka. The author even goes on to say “… has big shoes (or plates) to fill”.
Also sadly in the same edition, is a two-page spread claiming that Brisbane is now the undisputed steak restaurant capital of Australia, and that it is a city of unapologetic beef snobs. A city where diners or groups of, are willing to pay anything for their side of animal flesh. Prices range from $69.00 for 600gm of Angus cattle’s rib to over $100.00 for a 1 – 2.5kg rib called a Tomahawk.
Whilst hard working and dedicated people are fighting battles on behalf of the animals in courts of law all over the country, only to be stonewalled by a judiciary that is not willing to challenge the status quo, the real battle is to open the eyes of the average man and woman on the street. And I do think that a line in the sand needs to be drawn here in Queensland and that this state has to become the front line for any future Animal Rights issues.
Unfortunately, this state prides itself on its animal exploitation industries and is not looking at letting it go any time soon.
Currently, here in Brisbane The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA) is having its annual Exhibition or ‘Ekka as it is known to the locals. At this years ‘Ekka, the same as last year, there will be over 100 pregnant ewes set to give birth at a rate of 10 per day, during the 9 days of exploitation. I won’t say too much about it, because I have done that in another post, though the idea behind the ‘Ekka, is to bring the country to the city, except it is a heavily sanitised version of country life that the city folk see.
So, we do need to work on re-educating an ever increasingly ignorant public about the reality of how the animal flesh that they are sinking their teeth into actually gets to their plate from the farm. Only then will we see any realistic change in the way that animals are treated, and possibly go some way towards removing their property status.