http://www.animalsmatter.org/ Please collect signatures for the Animals Matter petition in support of the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare.

Jamie Oliver asks us to Choose Wisely There has been an overwhelming response to the premiere of Jamie's Fowl Dinners. Almost one million people watched the television show that took a confronting look at the poultry industry and aimed to tell shoppers the truth about where their food comes from. Jamie’s Fowl Dinners has prompted many people to ask how they can help improve the lives of layer and meat chickens. TAKE ACTION now Don’t buy cage eggs! If more humanely produced eggs aren’t available in your local store, ask the store manager to start stocking RSPCA accredited eggs and other alternatives. Don’t just buy the cheapest chicken - look for the certified free range or organic label. Lobby your local restaurants and cafes to only use certified free range or barn-laid eggs as well as higher welfare chicken. Make your voice heard! Write to the Australian Government Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, your State or Territory Primary Industry / Agriculture Minister, your local MP and to local newspapers. Express your anger and opposition to cruelty in the intensive farming industries. To find out more about how you can help hens get out of cages and to make an informed decision at the supermarket visit the RSPCA Australia website.

RSPCA  Pig farming A recent advertising campaign by an animal rights group about the issues affecting pigs in intensive farming systems has sparked renewed public interest in the industry. Like it or hate it, what the campaign has done is encourage people to ask questions about where their food comes from. People need to know how their food is produced before they can make an informed choice when buying ham, bacon and other pork products. So what are the facts? Pigs are considered to be highly intelligent. In many learning tests, for example, they will outperform dogs. Pigs in a free range environment will forage for food, wallow in mud, socialise and be highly inquisitive. However, most pigs in Australia are raised in intensive indoor systems without access to the outdoors and without the ability to express their natural behaviours. In these intensive systems, female pigs – or breeding sows – are kept in sow stalls for all or part of their 16-week pregnancy. These stalls are narrow, metal-barred crates that do not allow the sow to turn around and she can only take one small step forward or back. Sow stalls are about as big as the sow herself. Towards the end of her pregnancy, the sow will be moved to an even narrower crate to give birth. This farrowing crate separates the sow from her piglets but does allow the piglets access to the sow’s teats so that they can drink. After 3-4 weeks, piglets are weaned and grown out in group pens with concrete floors and no bedding – they are then slaughtered at around 6 months old. In the meantime, the sow is made pregnant again, returned to the sow stall and the cycle starts again. The RSPCA is opposed to the use of sow stalls and traditional farrowing crates because they result in chronic frustration and painful muscle and bone problems. The RSPCA supports rearing systems that provide freedom of movement and that meet both the sow’s and the piglets’ behavioural and physiological needs. Sow stalls will be banned in the European Union from 2013. Around a quarter of Australian pig producers do not use sow stalls at all. The rest of Australia's pig producers should follow suit. So when you're next shopping look for pig friendly pork products – i.e. RSPCA-accredited pork, certified free range or organic.     RSPCA - The Handle with Care Coalition has launched a call for action and is asking all Australians to register their opposition to live exports by visiting http://www.handlewithcare.tv/au. Please let your family, friends and work colleagues know about theHandle with Care campaign.