Media Release
23 July 2008
The plight of ‘Lucy’ provides a wake-up call for Australians
The voice of a little child has been heard across Australian airwaves over the past week
awakening Australians to the shocking reality faced by factory farmed pigs in this country.
“The barriers protecting the pig industry from public scrutiny are so high that a unique and hard-hitting
approach (http://www.animalsaustralia.org/lucy_speaks/) was needed to alert consumers to how the
majority of pork, bacon and ham products on supermarket shelves have been produced,”
“The overwhelming response to these ads has been anger at how this could be allowed to happen in
Australia; gratitude to Animals Australia for revealing the truth, and financial support to keep these
ads on air,” said Glenys Oogjes, Executive Director of Animals Australia.
Listeners around Australia have heard the voice of a young child ‘Lucy’ talking about the suffering she
is enduring – before realising at the end of the commercial that ‘Lucy’ is a pig - describing the life
endured by thousands of breeding pigs in factory farms in this country. Listeners are asked to ‘Help
end the horrific practices of the Australian pork industry.”
“Describing a breeding sow’s life in a factory farm through the eyes of a child is completely relevant
when you realise that pigs have a similar level of intelligence to a 3 year old child,” said Ms Oogjes.
“Conducting surgical procedures on piglets without any pain relief is horrific. Caging living beings
so severely that they can only take a step forward or back is horrific – and it is equally horrific that
through exemptions provided by government those inflicting this suffering cannot be prosecuted for
cruelty.”
“The shock tactics were not only justified but necessary when you consider that currently millions of
Australians who care about animal welfare are unwittingly supporting animal cruelty by purchasing
factory farmed products.”
“Despite being intelligent, despite having the same ability to suffer as the family dog or cat, pigs have
been abandoned by law makers, whilst industry operators rest easily knowing that the suffering that
occurs within the walls of their factory farms are well hidden from Australian consumers.”
“Most Australians would not knowingly support animal cruelty. This campaign is about giving
Australian consumers the chance to make informed choices – and to lodge a vote with their
purchasing power against animal cruelty”, concluded Ms Oogjes.
Media contact:
Glenys Oogjes, Executive Director 041 431 2552
Animals Australia Office 03 9329 6333
Animals Australia Inc. 37 O’Connell Street, North Melbourne 3051
NEWS 
