DISINGENUOUS AND DECEITFUL
Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick has weaponised the coronavirus pandemic to call for the cancellation of the 2020 duck hunting season (April 30) and the closure of abattoirs and slaughterhouses (May 6).
Mr Meddick suggested that "relaxing hunting bans amid duck shooting season would encourage large groups to travel" and that we must "close all of the state’s slaughterhouses to stop future outbreaks of coronavirus".
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur said "For Mr Meddick to claim that he is genuinely concerned that slaughterhouses or duck hunting will lead to virus outbreaks is not only disingenuous, but deceitful."
"Mr Meddick is ideologically determined to shut down both hunting and abattoirs, and has been so since he stepped foot inside the parliament."
"Now, on the back of a public health crisis, the Animal Justice Party will go around pretending that all the country pursuits or agricultural practices that they detest, will coincidentally be responsible for community contamination!"
"Virus outbreaks should be matters of public health, not political footballs for ideological goals."
"Duck hunting is a perfectly legitimate and safe activity that can be easily participated in while complying with safe social distancing measures, at virtually no risk to the community."
“Abattoirs are essential for the provision of high quality food protein for our domestic population and vital for our export market in order to help feed the rest of the world.”
7 May 2020