20/12/2006 - Strong Opinions - 'Taking a stand for all animals' by Katrina Sharman

Well, today seems to be the day for politics. I just read the following article by Katrina Sharman on On Line Opinion. I don't want to spoil your Christmas (most probably I will eat meat myself), still it is something to think about every now and then. Mankind in general still thinks they can do with animals whatever they like. Repulsive!

'Approximately 9.5 billion animals are slaughtered every year in the US. Take a moment to consider that number, because it is truly staggering. Many of these intelligent, sentient animals never see the light of day and never feel the earth under their feet. If America is a beacon of freedom and justice for its human inhabitants, it seems that its beneficial rays have never reached the nation’s farm animals.

Of course, back home in the lucky country, our animals are faring little better. As Australians and as legal professionals, we should not be lulled into a false sense of security by the presence of our state and territory anti-cruelty legislation or “talk” of animal welfare. While it’s proper to acknowledge that the government has committed $6 million to the implementation of an Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, this project is unlikely to serve as a clarion call to end the suffering of millions of animals in our factory farms.'

For the full article, go to

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=5257

You can also sign the RSPCA petition 'Fair go for farm animals':

http://www.rspca.org.au/campaign/fairgo.asp

Thanks.

KC