Our farmers are under siege and this Labor Government and its Agriculture Minister Mark Furner are missing in action.
In parliament I raised the issue of the animal activists and extremists plastering our farmers personal details, including their locations, on the ‘Aussie Farms’ website. The very same website that encourages members of the public to trespass on to our farms and terrorise farmers and their families for just doing their job and running their businesses.
Unfortunately, this Labor Government just continued to do what it’s done to date about the issue facing our farmers – nothing.
As a serial animal activist who illegally trespassed at a piggery and neighbouring chicken farm on the Sunshine Coast was handed a $200 fine– with no conviction recorded – this Government does nothing.
In December last year a gang of about 30 animal activists stormed the Mt. Cotton Golden Cockerel facility - shutting down and compromising production standards. Their ignorant actions cost more than $50,000 in business losses in the process. Again, this Government did nothing.
The Palaszczuk Labor Government and this incompetent Minister remains silent when it comes to protecting our farmers from extremists.
Queensland farmers deserve a Minister ready to go in to bat for them, not just someone who will kowtow to Labor’s inner-city animal activists.
It’s time to strengthen our biosecurity regulations to protect our farmers and their businesses from malicious animal extremists.
It’s time to strengthen and fix our trespass laws to ensure they work and offer a deterrent to these thugs.
Only the Deb Frecklington Liberal National Party will stand up for Queensland farmers and deliver laws that protect them from lawless animal activists.
Tony Perrett
LNP Shadow Minister for Agriculture
