Behind Australian Story:
the story of the Animal Justice Fund

The elusive Jan Cameron, one of Australia's most successful businesswomen, is renowned as an intensely private person who has shunned media interest in the past. But since working with some of Australia's leading animal advocates, including Animals Australia's Lyn White (biography), a new passion to take action and speak out publicly against the hidden cruelty inflicted on animals in factory farms has emerged...

This week, ABC's Australian Story lifts the lid on Jan's passion for animal welfare and her involvement in the Animal Justice Fund — an initiative to expose animal abusers administered by Animals Australia. 

Australian Story aired on Monday 11th October 8pm on ABC1

The full program can be seen on the Australian Story website, along with an extended interview with Lyn White and other exclusive footage.

"In the past I've avoided media interviews – I can't imagine what I possibly could have said of any interest or value. But in this instance, I think there's a lot that needs to be said. And I'm prepared to say it." — Jan Cameron

"Jan's willingness to come forward and be a voice for abused animals could not have come at a better time. Australians care about animals, yet the cruel industry practices routinely inflicted upon millions of hens and pigs have been deliberately kept from consumers – the very people who have the power to demand change through making informed, compassionate choices." — Lyn White, Animals Australia Communication Director

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Factory Farming in Pictures
The following images reveal the hidden reality suffered by millions of animals raised in factory farms throughout Australia.

Pregnant pigs can legally be confined in 'sow stalls' 1cm longer and wider than their actual bodies. They are barely able to move and are totally unable to turn around.

They are forced to give birth in a 'farrowing crate' which restricts their movement even more, and denies them the strong maternal instinct to properly nurture or interact with their young.

Piglets have their teeth cut, exposing the sensitive pulp inside. This excruciating procedure is done without pain relief.

Crude 'surgical' implements are used to castrate males, and cut the teeth and tails off piglets without anaesthetic.

Battery hen cages are still used in Australia. Up to 5 birds are crammed into each tiny wire cage, each given a 'living' space smaller than 1 A4 page - not even enough room to spread their wings.

Day-old chicks often have parts of their beaks painfully severed off in an attempt to mitigate canibalism brought on by the stress and unnatural confinement of battery hens.

50% of chicks born into the egg industry are male, but are of no economic use to the industry. These birds are typically gassed to death or ground up alive.

Chickens raised for meat are crammed into sheds by the tens of thousands for their entire six-week lives. During this time sheds are not cleaned and are left to accumulate with pungent faeces and ammonia which often burns the skin of the chicks inside.

'Meat chickens' have been bred to grow at 3 times their natural rate, leading to joint problems and lameness. These birds - with overgrown adult-sized bodies - still chirp like babies when they are sent to slaughter.

Seeking Justice for Animals

The Animal Justice Fund (AnimalJusticeFund.org), launched nationally in 2010 with the financial backing of Jan Cameron, fills a critical gap in the Australian animal protection movement by providing support to witnesses who wish to come forward to report animal abuse. Administered by Animals Australia, the AJF has been identified as a critical 'threat' to factory farming industries, whose profits depend on end-consumers remaining ignorant to the suffering endured by animals raised for food.

The Animal Protection Puzzle

The AJF plays a key role within a larger national campaign strategy driven by Animals Australia, which is supported by a network of individual donors and key member societies. Combined with strategic investigations and public awareness campaigns, this multi-faceted approach is creating real and lasting change for animals in Australia. In 2010 alone, Tasmania announced a commitment to ban sow stalls — the tiny metal crates that prevent mother pigs from being able to turn around or lie down properly. Supermarket giant Coles followed with similar intentions to be enacted in stores nation-wide. Though still a long way from ending factory farming altogether, these significant developments show that rising community awareness and shifts in consumer behaviour are beginning to have a profound impact on industry practices.

Making a difference for animals is not reserved for the wealthy. Everyone has the power to make a big difference for animals. Here's how:

1. Become informed — discover what factory farming industries would rather you didn't know.
2. Shop with compassion — every food purchase we make has the potential to help end, or entrench, the suffering of animals in factory farms.
3. Support our work — powerful factory farming industries are relentless in their attempts to divert attention from the cruelty of they inflict. What they fear most is exposure. By becoming a member of Animals Australia you can join thousands of other individuals who are helping to expose the cruelty of factory farming.