GRIM FACES: Animal lovers point the finger at NZ’s pork industry. IMAGE: Hayley Gastmeier
PEOPLE all over the country turned out on Saturday for a national day of action against factory farming.
Animal rights group SAFE, held rallies in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.
The aim was to inform voters of moves by Labour to phase out factory farming, and to gain public support for increased political pressure in the lead up to the election.
Over 100 people gathered on Cuba St in Wellington where they were addressed by Labour MP Virginia Andersen.
The Labour party is prepared to introduce legislation to end factory farming by 2017, and will stand by that commitment she told the crowd.
SAFE has been working with the Labour party and the Green party providing information about the issues surrounding factory farming.
Intensive farming methods have been put under scrutiny since Farmwatch, an animal advocacy group, released behind the scenes footage of a Canterbury pig farm on national television last month.
Jasmine Gray from Farmwatch says the pork industry’s come out and said they’re going to put better security in to stop them from getting the evidence out to the public.
“It shows you what their priority is. It’s keeping the public in the dark rather than actually improving conditions for animals,” she says.
Meanwhile Virginia Andersen told rally-goers that at least one of the big parties is prepared to step forward and say no this is not good for New Zealand, this is cruel and it’s not right.
“It’s really the uglier side of capitalism, when you see people putting money and greed ahead of morality,” she says.
One of those attending the rally, Kassie Brosnahan from Roseneath, thinks it’s important that these things are taken to the government.
“It’s important that the people stand up and show them what we want, and we don’t want our animals in cages.”
ANIMAL AGENDA: Over 100 people gathered in Wellington to speak up for the animals. IMAGE: Hayley Gastmeier