Media Release
10 June 2010
Tasmania takes historic decision to ban cruel sow stalls
In an historic announcement in the Tasmanian parliament today, Tasmanian Primary
Industries and Water Minister Bryan Green announced that Tasmania is to become the first
state in Australia to ban the use of pregnant sow stalls.
Executive Director of Animals Australia Glenys Oogjes said:
"Animals Australia wholeheartedly applauds this decision by the Tasmanian government.
For the first time we have a state government prepared to acknowledge that these intelligent
and sensitive animals also deserve to be protected from cruel treatment."
Minister Green accepted the recommendation of his Animal Welfare Advisory Committee
that sow stalls be banned from 2017 and their use restricted to six weeks per pregnancy
from 2014. Animals Australia and other welfare groups have long campaigned for a ban on
sow stalls on the basis of unacceptable cruelty. Despite this, consecutive national code
reviews have failed to implement a phase out or ban despite the UK banning sow stalls a
decade ago.
"The fact that it was ever legal to imprison pigs in tiny metal and concrete crates is criminal.
Future generations will look back and wonder how we could ever have treated animals so
appallingly. Minister Green's decision will be applauded by every Australian who cares about
animal welfare" said Ms Oogjes.
"The Tasmanian government has clearly shown that it has a conscience and is not prepared
to abide such obvious animal cruelty. One can only hope that their decision will serve to
awaken the conscience of other state governments to similarly ban sow stalls and end one
of the cruellest practices ever inflicted on animals in this country," concluded Ms Oogjes.
Media comment:
Glenys Oogjes 04 1431 2552
Animals Australia Inc. 37 O’Connell Street, North Melbourne 3051
NEWS 
