Voiceless (animal rights group)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
Animal Rights | |
Location |
|
---|---|
Area served | Australia |
Method | Education, animal law, research, publications |
Website | www.voiceless.org.au |
Voiceless is an independent, non-profit animal protection charity based in Sydney, Australia, whose work is focused on raising awareness of animals suffering in
Voiceless was founded by father-daughter team Brian Sherman AM and Ondine Sherman in 2004 with the goal of making animal protection the next great social justice movement.[2][3] focussing on animal protection and animal law education.[4] Voiceless has a Scientific Expert Advisory Council, Legal Advisory Council and Education Advisory Council.
History
Voiceless was founded by father-daughter team Brian Sherman AM and Ondine Sherman in 2004. Ondine Sherman first became interested in
Animal Protection
Voiceless identifies itself as an animal protection institute, encompassing animal welfare, and animal rights, in an attempt to unify those two movements.
Advocacy work (2004–2017)
From 2004 to 2017, Voiceless focussed its advocacy work on two areas – factory farming and the commercial kangaroo industry. Ondine Sherman has explained that the reason for this focus is that these issues cause the most suffering to the largest number of Australian animals, yet often receive little attention. Advocacy work included writing law reform submissions, running campaigns, creating research publications and hosting the Voiceless Animal Law Lecture Series, the Voiceless Grants Program and the Voiceless Media Prizes.
Factory farming
According to Voiceless, thecintensification of farming processes has resulted in large multinational companies dominating the global meat and dairy trade.[9] As of 2006, 50% of global pork production and over 70% of global chicken production came from industrial systems.[10] Two companies supply approximately 70% of Australia's meat chickens, with the balance of the market supplied by about four medium-sized companies.[11]
Voiceless states that this intensification of agricultural practices has led to the widespread use of cruel and inhumane meat production practices, such as the
Voiceless's work on factory farming is focused on raising awareness of the practice in order to change the laws which allow it.[12][13]
The commercial kangaroo industry
The commercial kangaroo industry is a multimillion-dollar meat and skin industry,[14] responsible for the killing of almost 90 million kangaroos and wallabies in the last 30 years.[15]
Voiceless claims that kangaroos are hunted in the largest commercial slaughter of land-based wildlife on the planet, primarily because they are perceived to be overpopulated in Australia and considered a pest.[16] According to a 2011 report by THINKK, the think tank for kangaroos, the notion of kangaroos as costly pests to Australian farmers has been significantly overstated.[17]
While shooters are required by the relevant Codes of Practice to aim to shoot a kangaroo in the brain and therefore cause instantaneous death,[18] it is Voiceless's view that non-fatal body shots are unavoidable and cause extreme injuries. Voiceless also claims that the death of joeys is ‘collateral damage’ to the killing of female kangaroos, with young joeys killed or left to die when the mother is shot. The kangaroo industry code allows joeys to be killed by a single blow to the head (usually with a steel pipe or against the tow bar of the shooter's truck) or through decapitation.[18] On average, approximately 800,000 dependent joeys are killed as collateral damage of the kangaroo industry.[19]
See also
References
- ^ "Voiceless Website".
- ^ "Sherman's Childhood realisation led to powerful lobby for change". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 November 2011.
- ^ "Sherman's childhood realisation led to powerful lobby for change". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 November 2011.
- ^ "Voiceless Website".
- ^ "ABC – Australian Story".
- ^ "Voiceless Website".
- ^ "Emile Sherman: From 'The King's Speech' to Voiceless animal rights organization".
- ^ Factory farming
- ^ "Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: 19. 2006.
- ^ "Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: 19. 2006.
- ^ "Structure of the Industry". Australian Chicken Meat Federation Inc. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Voiceless Website".
- ^ "Factory farming film among voiceless award winners".
- ^ Kelly, J. "Economic Benefits of the Kangaroo Industry". Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ "Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities" (PDF).
- ^ "Voiceless Website".
- ^ "Kangaroo Welfare Report" (PDF). Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ a b "National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes". Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 7 November 2008.
- ^ Ben-Ami, D; Boom, K.; Boronyak, L.; Townend, C.; Ramp, D.; Croft, D.; Bekoff, M. (2014). "The welfare ethics of the commercial killing of free ranging kangaroos: an evaluation of the benefits and costs of the industry". THINKK, The Kangaroo Think Tank, University of Technology Sydney. 23 (1): 1, 5.