News

Southern Qld feedlot invasion slammed by Minister

Beef Central, 25/03/2019

Federal Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud is demanding State Governments increase trespass laws and penalties after another animal activist invasion, this time at Lemon Tree feedlot near Millmerran on Queensland’s Darling Downs.

A scene of the farm invasion from a video posted on the Animal Activists Collective Facebook page.


Police were called when 100 animal activists invaded a feedlot and dairy, which is listed on the Aussie Farms activist attack map.

The Queensland Police told Beef Central that officers from the Millmerran and Dalby stations responded at 11.45am on Saturday to reports that approximately 80-100 protesters had arrived at the feedlot.

A QPS spokesperson said the protestors entered the feedlot, took photographs of animals and then left the site.

“No damage was sustained, there were no injuries or threats and therefore no arrests,” the QPS statement said.

“However, investigations are continuing”.

Activist’s tyres slashed

Queensland Police also told Beef Central they are investigating a related incident in which a van driven by a group of activists had its tyres slashed by an unknown motorbike rider without registration plates.

A 20 minute video posted to the Animal Activist’s Collective Facebook page recorded by one of the group members shows about 150 people wearing “Meat is Murder” T-Shirts, many with faces covered by white dust masks, trespassing onto private property and then entering and walking around the feedlot, and directing hostile comments towards feedlot owners and employees.

The trespassers’ shirts also carried the message: “one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws”.

‘An absolute disgrace’: Littleproud

Mr Littleproud said the onus is on the States to create serious penalty for trespassing on family farms.
“For police from surrounding towns to be called to protect farming families is a waste of resources, a broader public safety issue and an absolute disgrace,” he said.

“Animal Welfare groups have lost their social licence. They have no moral compass when they are prepared to intimidate innocent Australians and their actions taints their own cause.

“Aussie Farms can no longer pretend its map is anything but an attack map for activists, as I’ve been saying for months – this is the second invasion onto a property listed on their map in recent months.

“The slaps on the wrist being handed out to animal activists invading family farms is encouraging them to escalate their efforts. A real deterrent is needed before someone gets seriously hurt or killed. There are children living on these family farms.

“I again call for calm from all involved.

“Vegans eat plenty of farm produce and I respect their right to be vegan.

“However nobody has the right to trespass onto people’s family properties.

“Nobody would like to see a stranger show up at their residence where their children live and I’m genuinely worried there will be a serious incident.

“We’ve seen utterly ridiculous penalties handed out to trespassing and thieving animal activists in the past few months.

“Today’s incident follows the $1 fine issued over the Gippy Goats invasion in Victoria, and a $200 fine to a Sunshine Coast offender who trespassed at a piggery – she received less for the third offence than she did for the second.

‘An accident waiting to happen’: AgForce

AgForce has called for aggressive animal activists who illegally enter primary enterprises like feedlots and farms to be subject to the full force of the law, saying it was only a matter of time before one these dangerous stunts ended in serious injury or death.

AgForce CEO Michael Guerin said that, far from the caring, peace-loving image these protestors like to portray, they are violent bullies who rely on, threats, intimidation and terror to push their radical agenda

“Harsh words and condemnation mean nothing to the thugs perpetrating these acts,” Mr Guerin said

“Peaceful protest is one thing, but trespassing onto someone else’s property, frightening children and animals, breaching biosecurity measures that are there to protect everyone – this is criminal activity we’re witnessing and it’s going unpunished

“My biggest concern is that it’s going to take someone getting seriously hurt or even killed before Governments increase the penalties to fit the seriousness of the crime and the courts start enforcing them

“I know I’d feel threatened by the sort of mob action that took place on the weekend if they came over my back fence. I’d fear for the safety of my family. These are not the actions of a peaceful, law-abiding group,” Mr Guerin said

Mr Guerin said he respected a person’s right not to eat meat, but that shouldn’t extend to being able to commit acts of violence and terror against those who do, or against those who produce it. He added the recent fines handed out for trespassing onto family farms – $1 for the Gippy Goats invasion in Victoria, and $200 to a Sunshine Coast offender who trespassed at a piggery – made a mockery of the seriousness of the situation

“Farmers are good, kind-hearted people just going about their daily business of feeding Australian families. They treat their livestock humanely and they look after the health of their animals,” he said.

“It was only a week ago that activists in Victoria vowed to continue trespassing onto family farms, and now this happens in Maranoa in Queensland

“Clearly these extremists don’t feel deterred. How could you with those sorts of fines?

“We need to get as serious about protecting the lives and livelihoods of the farmers who produce the food we eat every day as these terrorists are about terrifying them

“Governments have to take steps now to put an end to this escalating action before it’s too late.”

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Comments

  1. Meg webb, 13/04/2019

    This is ludicrous that people can invade other peoples privacy, their homes and work sites. Where are our law providers. Where is this being let go to. I’m with the farmers. I love animals and I love meat.

  2. Dave Greenwood, 06/04/2019

    My livelihood and that of thousands is threatened by these terrorists
    we go to great extremes and vast expense to seriously protect our customers by bio security
    These terrorists are putting everyone at risk
    And why
    If you don’t want what we have and like fine
    But don’t put me my family or my customers at risk by your infantile irresponsible actions
    Thanks

  3. parick kennedy, 27/03/2019

    What right do they have to enter someone Business ,disrupt operations unsettle livestock& Bring a whole lot of stress to the farming industry and related communites. I believe they should be charged and keep charing them till it really hurts their
    back pocket . Give the police power to keep them out whatever it takes .Name and shame them
    starting with their leaders.

  4. Manuela Nowak, 27/03/2019

    It takes farmers a long time to comply with the new biosecurity laws and rules and then these muppets just walk on in and destroy all the hard work. Why do they think they have the right to tell those who do eat meat that they are wrong. Humans are carnivorous “animals”, we are NOT vegans. Its time they accept that fact. Farmers look after their animals, to lose one is heart-breaking. Farmers do everything necessary to keep them healthy and happy.

  5. Hayden, 26/03/2019

    Unfortunately we’ve all let this happen with the erosion of our rights slowly but surely getting worse

  6. Fernando Gonçalves, 26/03/2019

    This issue of having respect for people who do not eat meat needs to be better treated.
    The caveman was a hunter by nature. He’s always been a carnivore. From this we conclude that it is human nature itself to eat meat. It is not necessary here to defend the consumption of meat. Therefore, the option of not eating meat is a particular option, and this option is respected by the overwhelming majority of the world population.
    The moment that this group of people, who do not eat meat, starts to protest against the habit of other people not to eat meat, we can say that there is a pretension of this group to impose the option of not eating meat, without asking if other people would agree to this option. They do not have that right!
    Groups of activists are usually composed of young people who fall in love with certain themes and generally receive partial information on a particular subject and in their mind they think they are doing the right thing.
    That worries yes. The problem, it is not just the invasion of property and the psychological traumas that can cause the children of the farmers, or some material damage, not. The problem comes from the new option that begins to emerge with the production of “synthetic meat” that comes to appear on the horizon as a new source of food for humanity.
    I remember topics such as Codex food, which FAO has been working on since 1962, and the dangers of making “foods” with special composition, depriving people of essential elements, eg searching for a particular population, that their rate of population growth is regulated with the reduction of the production of hormones by its population. And this is possible to achieve, through the food that this population receives.
    I think these activists are, unconsciously believing that sacrificing animals is a moral problem. And they do not know that there are more things behind what they are doing.

  7. Emma Lancaster, 26/03/2019

    Lol! Lock up your children the vegans want to attack and eat them!

    Seriously this article 😂😂😂😂

  8. david mcilroy, 26/03/2019

    lock them up they are trespassing on private property could cause injury.

  9. Brent Smoothy, 26/03/2019

    Typical that the cops are more concentrated on the slashed tyres than the morons that caused the problem

  10. Leisa Williams, 26/03/2019

    Respect for people’s choices in life seems to only go one way. People need to respect each other and stop trying to enforce their beliefs onto others. People do not have the right to enter other people’s property and preach their beliefs at them. They do not like total strangers invading their home telling them what to do or what to believe . This applies to all areas of life .

  11. Mark Lake, 26/03/2019

    The activist’s should have their addresses published online so we can all go walking around their work place and homes and take photos.

  12. Graham Wilson, 25/03/2019

    I would like to see Agforce ,NFF,QDO,etc.organise a rally at Premier Palaszczuk’s home to protest the weak trespassing laws.They can send an email to members,and Beef Central can send a message to subscribers,to meet at the Premiers home address,to be posted,and we will peacefully protest against the leniency of the trespassing laws by entering her property ,not damaging anything,making comments against her and her family,then after an hour,leave.Obviously these actions are not illegal as no one was charged at Lemontree Feedlot for doing the same thing.
    Words to the paper,or comments on radio are totally ineffective for this situation.This is a physical attack on our property rights.Anything other than a physical response by a similar action to the perpetrators will be ineffective and show our weakness .
    It is the Lawmakers who need to be targeted; don’t worry about the perpetrators.
    Friday midday outside the Premiers home will be an appropriate time.
    I will leave it up to comments on this sight to gauge the response from industry bodies and people as to whether action will be taken,otherwise I will organise a protest myself.

  13. Ross Peatling, 25/03/2019

    The red (&white) meat industries must respond with a well planned, legal response to these “people” who try & discredit hard working & responsible primary producers. National Farmers Federation, Cattle Council, Sheep Meats & the Feedlot Association should combine & put together a united response to defeat these radical …….(unprintable) activists . Let’s get on the front foot instead of being reactive.

  14. Peter Dunn, 25/03/2019

    Minister David Littleproud is correct. The behaviour of these activists is an absolute disgrace. They have lost their social licence, but of course they would not see it that way. In their misplaced zeal and excitement they would see their incursion as some sort of victory, something to brag about amongst their peers and their manipulating leaders. Can you imagine their offence, their indignity, their rush to victimhood, if the same incursion happened to them in their domicile, their family home, or their personal space? They have lost their connection with fairness and respect for their fellow man and with the right of others to be different.

  15. Danny Gleeson, 25/03/2019

    All’s fun and games till someone gets hurt!

  16. Lee Clarke, 25/03/2019

    John this sort of garbage is only going to be on the rise. Have you heard anything about Shorten’s Meat tax?

  17. Don Finlay, 25/03/2019

    Guess push will come to shove! Need the state ministers of ag and primary industries residences on the Aussie farm maps thingy. One hundred hot shots show up their kids houses then they going to move on it. Don’t count anything to happen except $1 fines.

  18. Dr Sandra Jephcott, 25/03/2019

    Obviously the health and safety of employees, owners and their families are paramount but these trespassers are also putting the animals at risk. Large numbers of people breach biosecurity and can be carrying varying diseases on their footwear etc. Also, a large group of argumentative activists trespassing an animal property will stress the animals and significantly reduce their feed intake and increase their susceptibility to disease. Stress reduces the function of the immune system. I would suspect that the cattle at Lemon Tree had an intake reduction of 20% or more on the day of the invasion.

  19. john cooper, 25/03/2019

    Any responsibly minded person could only support the statements from our minister for agriculture and Michael McGuerin of Ag force. Our farmers going about their business and abiding by the law must be protected by stronger penalties and heavy fines or as has been stated someone will eventually get seriously hurt. Governments can pass stronger trespass laws to help avoid this happening.

  20. Alan Schmidt, 25/03/2019

    I do not have a great deal of respect for Littleproud as our Federal Minister – however he is on the right track calling for appropriate penalties for these law breakers. They are certainly doing their cause a disservice. Following the example of the now discredited Animals Australia.

  21. Sandra Baxendell, 25/03/2019

    If they aren’t being prosecuted under Biosecurity laws, then maybe look at WH&S laws as 120 people invading a workplace must cause stress to staff (and cattle). Also they probably wouldn’t have been vaccinated for Q Fever – the owner should ask and then direct them to leave if unvaccinated.

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