ONLY a generation ago parents allowed their children to participate in a greasy pig chase, an event that would trigger outrage today.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
These days in some places a family can still pay to see caged lions in a circus, a bucking horse in a rodeo or a cockatiel with bright orange cheeks perched on a pet shop’s stand. It may not occur to anyone in the family the shrieking little parrot has a broken wing, or the horse and lion are under severe duress.
Our awareness of cruelty is more acute, and tolerance diminished for allowing animals to suffer, thanks to campaigns through the media.
Anyone earning their living from raising and caring for animals has been on notice for years that society's views of these occupations is rapidly changing.
They need a social licence, that is, a broad level of acceptance within the community to carry out their activities.
Greyhound owners and trainers can learn from wool growers response to animal activists protests against mulesing, the term used for cutting folds in sheep's skin to smooth it out and avoid fly strike.
Sections of the wool industry fought the activists opposition, while others opted to overcome the wrinkles through breeding, and subsequently win new markets for their fibre. Brands like Icebreaker promote ethically produced fibre and have clawed back market share in the apparel market.
A similar debate is ongoing in Australia's live export industry. Supporters say exporting live sheep and cattle makes a valuable contribution to the market, and that some countries consume red meat freshly killed, because they do not have refrigeration.
The RSPCA believes value-added meat exports are the future for Australian livestock farmers, and that meat exports have increased about 34 per cent since 2009, while live exports have declined by 41 per cent during the same period.
Our awareness of cruelty is more acute, and tolerance diminished for allowing animals to suffer, thanks to campaigns through the media.
It says only 7 per cent of cattle and 6 per cent of sheep are exported live for slaughter, the remaining 93 per cent of cattle and 94 per cent of sheep are slaughtered in this country to Australian standards.
Industries across the board are being disrupted, and those that adapt to new opportunities, rather than cling to old ones, are most likely to succeed.