The ultimate decision regarding the piggery proposal now rests with the administrator of the Hilltops Council, which is pending the separate specialist reports of the Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel (IHAP) due within a month.

Council will also need to be guided by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (Aboriginal heritage); Department of Primary Industries – Water (extraction of water); and the Environmental Protection Authority (licensed premises for the purposes of waste disposal, including an assessment of odour impacts) in respect to these Department’s decisions regarding their individual General Terms of Approval.

IHAP consists of experts in the fields of soil, groundwater, odour, traffic and biodiversity.

In our substantial objections (Round 1 and 2), the Say No group raised valid and legitimate concerns addressing all these matters, noting that biodiversity includes native animals.

In addition, our objections included our concerns surrounding the over-whelming and evidenced issues relating to animal suffering, cruelty and abuse.

These concerns are concerns which are of extreme importance to members of the public which has in some respects been supported by the record number of submissions lodged with council.

Earlier this year in a letter published by local media, Michael and Edwina Beveridge of Blantyre Farms claimed ‘they care for their animals’.

We have always vigorously challenged these claims and the evidence has been published.

Blantyre Farms advised in their original DA EIS that “pregnant sows would be housed in group housing”.

Subsequent EIS documents however also confirmed plans for 924 dry sow stalls (with one sow in each stall sized 2.4 x .65m) and 222 farrowing crates (for one sow and her piglets in each stall sized 1.78 x 2.4m).

Consumers around the world are increasingly demanding these cruel devices be outlawed and in many countries they have been.

The demand to change the laws to end this cruelty will be people-driven.

Heartless politicians and industry groups will have to listen and we say heartless, as this comment by Dave Warner, National Pork Producers Council (USA) epitomizes when questioned about the size of sow stalls, “So our animals can’t turn around for the 2.5-years that they are in the stalls producing piglets. I don’t know who asked the sow if she wanted to turn around”.

We have no reason to believe that APL would think any differently, given APL’s General Manager Policy, Deb Kirk’s earlier media comments that the concerns of animal activists were irrelevant.

It is in fact Ms Kerr, APL and the industry which are “irrelevant”.

The worldwide movement for animal welfare has just received a huge boost from Oprah Winfrey who has asked her 33.5 million Twitter followers to take the “Meatless Mondays” pledge.

Oprah has joined Peter Pacelle, the President/CEO of the Humane Society of the United States by showing “a great shared passion for fighting for animals in ways large and small”.

For anyone who doubts the anguish and torment of the life of a mother sow we submit the following poem.

This is why we are fighting so passionately to help these animals and we will never give up the fight.

Gestation Crate (author unknown)

A gestation crate, a barbaric devise, created to entomb a Mother,

She is unable to turn around, prepare a nest, or bond with another

Does she wish to build a nursery, from fibre, twigs and straw?

An instinct so ingrained into her very maternal core

Is it right to lock a Mother, inside metal jaws of hell,

She cannot move, explore, prepare … she is entombed inside this cell

The babies she has birthed, she cannot greet in a natural way

She cannot turn to look at their faces, lead them to sunshine, mud baths or hay

Denied sunshine, movement, and freedom, all that we hold dear,

And left to linger in cages, on factory floors, that emit fear

Her frustration, anguish and torment overflows from her very being,

To be denied such natural instincts, is injustice at its extreme!

This cycle is repeated … days, months, become years

Exhausted, beaten, frightened … many transparent, lonely tears

A merciless concrete factory, artificial light, stench and cries,

Is the only work she will ever know, until her last breath and life expire

A gestation crate, a barbaric devise, created to entomb a Mother,

She is unable to turn around, prepare a nest, or bond with another

Christina Heath

Say No To Blantyre Farms in Harden

Everyone knows that a dog is man’s best friend and that greyhounds are also the punters best friend. No jockeys or drivers to manipulate their running in races. Racing greyhounds only know one thing. They jump from the boxes and put in a 100% effort to finish in front of their rivals. If Premier Baird succeeds in banning the sport then there is going to be a lot of despondent punters around.  

Colin Field

Gundagai