Animal-Rights Protests Are a “Tipping Point” For Australia’s Vegan Future, Activist Says

This week’s protests against animal cruelty in Australia—which saw a series of peaceful protests across the nation bringing attention to the conditions at factory farms—could be an opportunity for Australia to take a stand, said Australian vegan journalist Katrina Fox. The protests, which were timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the release of animal-rights documentary Dominion, were covered by media outlets around the world for the disruption they caused to traffic and transit services during rush hour, and are being touted as the biggest animal-rights protest the world has ever seen. “These protests are an opportunity for our prime minister—or whoever is going to be our prime minister after our upcoming elections—to really take a stand and say, ‘Okay, Australians are not cool with animal cruelty. Something big is happening; we’re at a tipping point,’” Fox said. “And to actually take a stand at transitioning farmers and animal agriculture out of an industry that’s bad for the planet, terrible for the environment, bad for animals, and bad for people, and transition Australia into a thriving, booming, plant-based economy … phasing out subsidies to the meat and dairy industries and instead supporting ethical, plant-based businesses.” Fox pointed to the recent growth of the plant-based industries in the United Kingdom and the United States—where, just this week, Canadian meat giant Maple Leaf Foods announced plans to build the largest plant-based protein factory in North America. “It’s a way to end this ‘us versus them’ mentality,” Fox said. “It’s a way for animal activists and farmers and the animal-agriculture industry to collaborate on a win-win solution.” Dominion director Chris Delforce told Plant Based News that the documentary has been viewed 55,000 times in the 48 hours following the protests.