AWI rejects Peta's "olive branch"

Preamble (please read) | ABC News - Wool growers reject PETA peace offer

AWI Unwilling co-operate on Animal Welfare

PETA has basically offered AWI not only an “out” with the means of saving what little face it has left, after its Federal Court Case has been thrown out four times, it is, in reality, offering tens of thousands of dollars to the industry to get its animal welfare practices in order.

But AWI, ruled by an “old boys' club” led by the former Defence Minister, just can’t see it. PETA expects the industry to eliminate the worst atrocities of which it is guilty – the mulesing procedure, and the live export trade, but typically, the industry is blinded by dollars – its own, and those of the government (i.e you and me, the gullible taxpayer).

And it is not only AWI that receives enormous largesse from the taxpayer; the live export trade receives millions of dollars in government funding (irrespective of the moral position of the taxpayer on this abhorrent trade. We are appalled that our tax dollars support this trade in cruelty and animal suffering).

Even the Australian Wool Growers’ Association has recommended that AWI “wake up to itself”.

It is no small measure of the ignorance of these people that they are prepared to let their representative body throw away their own members so-called “hard-earned” dollars on a court case that it has been made clear on four occasions cannot be won.

This bizarre attitude on the part of the Chairman of AWI just proves that no matter an olive branch has been handed to the industry, they cannot and, perhaps more importantly, are incapable of and unwilling to co operate with any animal welfare groups. The industry does not want to be seen ‘backing’ down to animal welfare…

Shows Live Export Shame that good animal welfare practices just aren't a priority to the farming/wool industry!