The Animal Justice Party calls on the Minister for Agricultue, Tara Moriarty to urgently introduce changes to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to make it mandatory for all farmed animals to have access to shade and shelter. Access to shade should be provided to all farmed animals without exception or excuse. Given that the legal definition of animal cruelty includes “unjustifiably exposed to excessive heat or cold“ all farmers must ensure that every animal in their care has the ability to access and obtain shade under tree-cover or protection from the cold in shelters.

The impact of climate change means that Australia is experiencing more extreme temperatures and weather conditions - this includes, heatwaves, storms, floods and cold snaps. Farmed animals are suffering every day in the increasingly relentless heat of Australian summers and the suffering continues in winter when an estimated 10-15 million lambs die a miserable freezing and lonely death. Community standards demand that animals confined to paddocks and feedlots must be given shade protection from these extremes in temperature.

To: Tara Moriarty, Minister for Agriculture
From: [Your Name]

Farm animals across the state are suffering. I call on you as the Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty to urgently introduce changes to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to make it mandatory for all farmed animals to have access to shade, without exception or excuse. Given that the legal definition of animal cruelty includes “unjustifiably exposed to excessive heat or cold“ all farmers must ensure that every animal in their care has the ability to access and obtain shade under tree-cover or in shelters.

As the Minister for Agriculture it is in your power to do this.

The impact of climate change means that Australia is experiencing more extreme temperatures and weather conditions - this includes, heatwaves, storms, floods and cold snaps. Farmed animals are suffering every day in the increasingly relentless heat of Australian summers and the suffering continues in winter when an estimated 10-15 million lambs die a miserable freezing and lonely death. Community standards demand that animals confined to paddocks and feedlots must be given shade protection from these extremes in temperature.