Animal rights activists from around Australia converged on Brisbane between April 26 and 29 to voice their protest to the 2006 World Meat Congress, a bi-annual event bringing together the major players of the meat industry from around the globe. Over six hundred meat and livestock industry delegates were in attendance at the Convention Centre at Brisbane's Southbank to discuss the future of the industry.

 

Animal rights activists from New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria joined together to offer an alternative perspective of the meat industry in contrast to the glossy, sanitised picture presented inside the convention centre, with the protesters focusing on issues of animal cruelty, environmental destruction, and health and safety. The protesters staged a diverse range of actions in order to engage the congress, the media and the Australian public over the four days. In anticipation of the protesters, security was tight throughout the event, with police and private security personnel out in large numbers wherever the delegates met.

Media coverage of the actions was high on each day of the congress. The protests were televised each night on Brisbane television news, much of which was also seen nationwide, and the protests were also widely covered in other media, including newspapers, internet news and radio stories. Animal Liberation spokespersons were at times engulfed with interview requests and were widely quoted in the media.

What follows is a brief round-up of the actions and events held during the congress.

Thursday 27th

 

Meat and greet. Protesters set up outside the convention centre early in the morning ahead of the arrival of congress attendees. Banners and signs highlighting the cruelty and unsustainability of intensive farming were displayed ("Meat: It's costing the Earth", "Meat: As natural as murder", "Factory farming: Industrialised cruelty", and "RIP Compassion" were several examples). Chants of 'meat is murder' 'and shame, shame, blood on your hands' filled the air, and cries from the loudhailer such as "you can walk away, but the animals can't" met attendees as they climbed the long set of stairs to the doors of the convention centre. Disturbing footage taken of Australian meat producing facilities was played from the Animal Liberation education van, and activists distributed flyers to members of the public passing by.

Human meat tray protest. Activists relocated to the Brisbane city centre at lunchtime, assembling around Animal Liberation Victoria activist Jamie Yew, who was on display stripped and splashed with fake blood inside a human-sized meat tray labelled 'Human Meat'.

'It's enough to put you off your dinner' protest. Loud chants, whistles and drums again met conference attendees upon their return to the convention centre for dinner. An especially raucous welcome was reserved for the arrival of Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, who was quoted in the media the following day as saying that the activists should "stop whingeing". Three activists also made it past security and inside the convention centre during the dinner, but were quickly removed and received warnings from police. No-one was arrested but all were required to agree not to enter the centre again.

Friday 28th

 

Abattoir lock-down. Around a dozen activists entered an Ipswich slaughterhouse in the early hours of Friday morning in order to highlight the realities of meat production. After the activists locked themselves to the chute through which animals are forced onto the killing room floor, the frustrated abattoir manager sought to remove them by cutting them free with an angle grinder. Following a lengthy delay, in which time the activists were also verbally assaulted by the meat workers, police arrived but no charges were pressed against the activists. Interviews with media proceeded once outside the facility, where other activists had gathered in solidarity with those inside.

Meat and greet. Following the lock-down, activists returned to Brisbane to once again meet congress delegates upon their arrival at the convention centre.

'Vegan water polo.' The second social gathering of the congress was held offsite, beachside at Southbank. Three sides of the venue were fenced and patrolled by police and private security guards, and the fourth side was ringed by a lagoon. Unperturbed, a dozen activists jumped into the water, placards still in hands, and paddled to within metres of assembled security on the beach to again voice their displeasure at the ethically reprehensible business of the crowd. At the end of the evening, the band hired by the congress thanked the entertainers that had performed earlier, and "the vegan water polo team."

Saturday 29th

 

Meat and greet. Protesters again faced off against congress attendees as they made their way into the convention centre. Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran, evidently well aware of the welcome he would receive from the protesters following the latest Animals Australia live export expose, elected to slink in via a side entrance.

Street march. Around seventy activists took to Brisbane's city streets from 10 am, dressed in black in respect for the fifty-five billion land animals killed annually for food by the meat industry. Protesters carried banners, placards, and an effigy of Ronald McDonald, and were shadowed by police vehicles, news crews, and the Animal Liberation NSW education van.

Media conference by Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett. Andrew Bartlett appeared before media at the conclusion of the march, highlighting the enormous damage that intensive farming causes to the environment in Australia and around the world.

Vegan barbeque. At the conclusion of the media conference, Mr Bartlett and the assembled activists retired to a delicious vegan barbeque, prepared by members of the Queensland Vegan Society.

Candlelight vigil. The closing dinner of the congress, held offsite at an estate overlooking the golf course in leafy St Lucia, was again attended by protesters. Around thirty activists approached the estate through the darkness in single file, each holding a lit candle. Upon arrival, Danielle Archer made a moving speech on the suffering of intensively farmed animals, and the activists then stood in silent vigil, waiting for the flame from their candles to die in representation of the billions of innocent lives extinguished annually by the meat industry.

Quote, Unquote

 

In the left corner:

"These delegates coming here for the World Meat Congress are not wanted. Their industries are not sustainable and not environmentally friendly, on top of all the cruelty involved in animal industries." Angie Stephenson, Animal Liberation

"The animal welfare standards in this country are ridiculous, the codes of practice are not enforced by the RSPCA and the RSPCA does not prosecute enough for cruelty." Danielle Archer, Animal Liberation

"We are hoping to draw attention to the cruelty of meat production and promote vegetarianism as a compassionate alternative. It's unnecessary to eat meat. Not only is it bad for you and the environment, it is cruel to animals." Noah Hannibal, Animal Liberation

"The workers, they were standing around cheering and whooping and yelling and making lewd comments." Angie Stephenson, Animal Liberation

In the right corner:

"The red meat industry here in Australia stands proudly behind its products, stands proudly alongside the animals we manage and produce. Our attention to welfare and the treatment of those animals is of the highest standard."

"The Australian meat industry, and in fact the worldwide meat industry, has for generations been operating to very strict welfare standards in each and every country." David Palmer, managing director of Meat and Livestock Australia

"You carry out surveys and 50 or 60 per cent of consumers say they'll pay quite happily for improved animal welfare product. Unfortunately, buying behaviour is quite different. When faced with choice in the supermarket and getting out their credit card at the check-out counter, that 60 per cent falls to 5 or 6 per cent." Dr David Bayvel, World Organisation for Animal Health

"No comment." Churchill abattoir management

"Look, I'm absolutely disgusted. If they'd have walked onto my property this morning and I owned the abattoir, they would have got more than got cut off with angle grinders. I mean, how many of these people are on the dole? They're walking around the streets, want to hand around pamphlets and all this. We work hard to make money for ourselves. We pay our taxes. And then most of these people are on the dole and we've got to pay for them." Talkback radio caller

Editor's note: Protesters against the Congress included concerned citizens from all walks of life, from Mathematics PhDs to bankers to social workers. I wonder what the caller did for a living?

A.K.A. World Meat Congress 2006

 

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