ANDY Meddick, the Animal Justice Party candidate who is within touching distance of a seat in the Victorian Upper House for the Western Victoria region, has said a ban on all live animal exports would be one of his immediate priorities if he is elected.
Mr Meddick said ending live export, intensive animal farming, jumps racing, greyhound racing and duck hunting, along with creating an independent office of animal protection were the AJP’s major areas of concern.
While acknowledging the AJP’s long-term goal of phasing out livestock production, Mr Meddick said he realised this would not be something that is achievable in the short-term.
“I’m open about the fact I am and vegan and we would love to see a vegan world tomorrow, but that is not practical, it is not going to happen,” Mr Meddick said.
Instead he said he wanted to focus on areas that he believed could be changed.
“Live export is absolutely non-negotiable, there is no need for it, so we will be working very hard on that, along with issues such as jumps racing.”
The Victorian racing minister Martin Pakula is on the record as saying there will be no changes to laws around jumps racing, which has its Australian heartland through Mr Meddick’s potential electorate in western Victoria.
In regards to agricultural practices, Mr Meddick said with high meat and wool prices it would require hefty incentives to get people to move into other enterprises.
“The ideal situation is to help people transition into plant-based agriculture, but we are not going to come in with a heavy stick and beat everyone around the head, sometimes incremental change is the best way forward.”
Specific agricultural issues Mr Meddick mentioned included the use of 1080, used to bait rabbits, and the culling of native wildlife as areas he wanted to see change.
“I have had an issue with the use of 1080 for a number of years, while with animal culling I feel it is too easy to get a permit to cull animals whereas options like relocating them can be very difficult.”
Mr Meddick said over-clearing of land for animal based agriculture was partly to blame for the plague numbers of native animals seen in some farm areas at present.
“We have to stop and think, do we need this profit before all else attitude, do we need to clear all these hectares of bushland and push native animals out?”
In spite of his party’s positions on many agricultural matters, which are in stark contrast to the farming sector, Mr Meddick said he was willing to sit down and talk to farm peak bodies.
“No one wins an argument, dialogue needs to be kept open so we’re willing to sit down and have a respectful discussion with the animal agriculture industry, although there will possible be areas we can’t reach agreement on.”
However, his long-term goal of cutting livestock production is clear.
“So much of the world’s grain and legumes are required to feed animals for meat.”
“We could feed a much larger number of people in places such as Africa and India if we did not move this grain into animal production, and then there are the issues with clearing to allow farmers to produce the animal feed.”
Intensive animal production will be one of his first targets.
“Animal production on an intensive scale is a blight, things like caged hens, where they have no quality of life, I just don’t agree with the concept.”