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Blog

The week in animal welfare: Volume #5

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  • RSPCA Australia
  • Friday, 21 April 2017

Welcome back to our ‘Week in Animal Welfare’ roundup. We took a break over the Easter long weekend but fear not, we have returned.

Make yourself a cup of tea, get comfortable and have a click through the week in animal welfare:

Whip free racing: At the end of last year, Harness Racing Australia announced that they will be banning the use of whips in racing from September 2017. HRA Chairman Geoff Want has written about why this decision is important. The community’s expectations regarding animal welfare have changed and it’s up to industries to take action if they want to be sustainable.

Jumps racing cruel, barbaric: SA racing minister Leon Bignell: Following the euthanasia of five-year-old Wheeler Fortune at Oakbank racecourse, South Australian racing minister Leon Bignell has called for a ban on jumps racing. Naturally, the jumps racing industry was unhappy with this idea,  although Victoria and South Australia are the only remaining states that still support jumps racing.

Even economists think animal welfare laws need to improve: This article from Crikey is behind a paywall, but it’s a must-read if you’re a subscriber. Bernard Keane writes about the recent release of the Productivity Commission’s report into agricultural regulation and why national leadership in animal welfare is so needed, and so important.

Animals trapped in ‘floating ovens’ hardly have space to lie down: A look at the realities of the live export trade. Please be warned, these images are fairly graphic.

Artwork using slaughtered bull ‘crosses the line’: A piece of performance art scheduled to take place in June has created controversy due to its use of a slaughtered bull and 500 litres of blood.

Lone beaver leads curious cattle around Canadian farm: Ranchers in Canada were surprised to see their cattle had made a new friend …


Before we let you go, we’ll also plug what we’ve been up to in the last couple of weeks:

Your cage-free eggs might be produced by companies that use battery cages:  Did you know that some of the biggest players in the cage egg industry are also popular producers of free-range and barn-laid eggs?

The result of our poll on whips in racing, and why it’s such big news: We recently commissioned some independent research into people’s views on whips in racing. Even we were surprised by the findings.

Four restaurant chains with humane food on the menu: Not in the mood to cook? Check out the restaurant chains offering higher welfare food.

Five easy ways to help animals: This post was written to celebrate Easter, but most of these ideas can be applied all year around!

 

 

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