Freedom of Species

This is the talk given by Brad King, director of Farm Animal Rescue (Qld), at the recent Animal Activists Forum in Melbourne.  Brad details the cruelty & terrible suffering caused by farmed animals' genetic design.  He also shares some wonderful stories of the FAR sanctuary residents who, now in safety, are able to express their normal range of social and emotional behaviours.Farm Animal Rescue  https://www.farmanimalrescue.org.au/Animal Activists Forum  http://www.activistsforum.com/

In this week’s show we check the pulse of the vegan community in Melbourne by speaking to people at the Spring Vegan Festival that was held at the old meat market. We discuss the challenges facing animals, what is inspiring about the vegan movement and where people find hope.

Pam Ahern's presentation from the recent Australian Animal Activist Forum.Pam is the Founder and Director of farmed animal sanctuary Edgar's Mission (Victoria, Australia).Pam's talk was a journey of self-discovery from animal lover to animal advocate as she explores the role of farm sanctuaries in the bigger picture of creating a kinder world for animals.This is the perfect show to share with friends and family who may not 'get' why you are vegan or those who love animals but are still on the 'journey' towards kindness for all.Freedom of Species would like to thank Pam Ahern and the Animal Activist Forum organisers for granting us permission to broadcast this talk.Edgar's Mission website https://www.edgarsmission.org.au/Edgar's Mission Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/edgarsmission/Edgar's Mission Cooking with Kindness cookbook https://shop.edgarsmission.org.au/Animal Activist Forum website http://www.activistsforum.com/Animal Activist Forum Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/activistsforum/

In March this year, Darebin Council in Melbourne, Victoria, announced the next pound contractor will be a 'no kill' shelter facility for companion animals. Our guest is a major driver of that momentous change - Kathleen Chapman from Save Darebin Pets.The Maneki Neko Cat Lounge  info:http://www.neko.org.au/neko-hq/November 3rd GECO Citizen science camp info ( note there are a few camps over summer if you can't attend in November) : http://www.geco.org.au/calendar

As the world is waking up to the cruelty and destructive consequences of industrial animal agriculture, do the proposed Victorian planning laws give the green light for more of it? And will they make it harder for us to oppose such facilities 'in our own backyards'?  We speak with Sarah Davison from Planning for Animals about this and Lisa Ryan from Say No to Blantyre Pig Farms in Harden shares the activism nuts and bolts of the campaign that stopped a large intensive piggery from being built in NSW.Photo courtesy of Aussie Farms http://www.aussiepigs.com/piggeriesTo object to the proposed planning laws in Victoria: https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/policy-and-strategy/planning-reform/sust...

In this week’s show we talk with Dr Mel Taylor about protecting our animals in emergency situations and look at some new research that shows a plant-based food system would be much better for our environment.For more on what Dr Mel Taylor was talking about please see: http://theconversation.com/seven-ways-to-protect-your-pets-in-an-emergency-83484Here is the Facebook link for Blue ARC: https://www.facebook.com/BlueARCAnimalReadyCommunity/?hc_ref=ARR1r9hQ5T9vao4ewT2CezX57oz2ZsWl9fwgY64O34ZLMUZGpISdRm5y75tV-lhDtKQ&fref=nf#The Bushfire & Natural Hazards CRC project webpage is here: https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/research/hazard-resilience/237For more information about Dr Mel Taylors research see  'Hazard Note': http://www.bnhcrc.com.au/hazardnotes/35The research paper discussed, it’s open access so anyone can read it! Greedy or needy? Land use and climate impacts of food in 2050 under different livestock futures - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378016306872

There are some animal advocates that transform your thinking and how you approach your activism. Psychologist Melanie Joy and Animal Asia founder Jill Robinson come to mind. Well, add Sandra Higgins to the list. Sandra has a clarity of purpose that will inspire and challenge you.Sandra is the Founder and Director of Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary and the creator of the world's largest vegan advertising campaign - 'Go Vegan World'. As a psychologist, Sandra is the Director of The Compassion Foundation of Ireland.Here are a couple of Sandra's presentations and some relevant resources:Irish Vegan Festival - 'What Other Animals Need From Us' on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74OzTrAgbDQSixth Annual Conscious Eating Conference -  'Go Vegan World & The Animals of Eden' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2xrfeHad-8Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary http://edenfarmedanimalsanctuary.com/Go Vegan World https://goveganworld.com/Matilda's Promise http://www.matildaspromise.org/Image: Sandra & Charlotte (courtesy of Sandra Higgins)

Amanda Leeper talks about the cruel realities behind the chick hatching programs commonly run by Australian primary schools, kindergartens and child-care centres.  At face value, these programs seem to be a cute cuddly experience for all involved but the reality is very different, and the learning outcomes for the children are not necessarily positive.  Having successfully lobbied her local council and primary school to discontinue their hatching programs, Amanda is well-qualified to share her experiences and tips on how to speak out on behalf of these most vulnerable.RSPCA  http://kb.rspca.org.au/what-are-the-animal-welfare-issues-with-chick-hat...Edgars Mission  https://www.edgarsmission.org.au/hatching-a-good-idea/World of Animal Welfare  http://www.woaw.org.au/teachers/animals-and-education/for-the-birds-chic...Make It Possible homepage  http://www.makeitpossible.com/Melbourne Chicken Save homepage https://www.facebook.com/Melbournechickensave/

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater? It appears current feverish land clearing, mostly for pastoral animal agriculture, makes a mockery of efforts & money to protect threatened species, biodiversity & climate change mitigation.We chat with Dr Hugh Finn from Curtin Law School who wants the animal welfare implications of land clearing addressed,April Reside from Queensland University about the crazy levels of land clearing happening there now & Fiona Probyn-Rapsey from UNSW about why we have an unhelpful blind spot when it comes to land use and animal agriculture.Further information, including the history of land clearing in Qld, courteousy of the Wilderness Society:https://www.wilderness.org.au/land-clearing-queensland#4Here's the link to the APEEL organisation April Reside mentioned: http://apeel.org.auMentioned articles of interest: Hugh Finn  https://theconversation.com/land-clearing-isnt-just-about-trees-its-an-a...April Reside https://theconversation.com/just-ten-mps-represent-more-than-600-threate...Listen to this thought provoking talk by Fiona Probyn-Rapsey  titled,  "The Feral Amongst Us":http://www.freedomofspecies.org/show/fiona-probyn-rapsey-feral-amongst-us

Sandra Higgin's presentation at this year's Irish Vegan Festival titled What Other Animals Need From Us.  Sandra Higgins is Founder and Director of Eden Farm Sanctuary and the woman behind the largest vegan advertising campaign, Go Vegan World. As a psychologist, she is Director of The Compassion Foundation of Ireland.The talk is a motivation check for animal activists and an ethical check for vegetarians and those who still consume animals.  Irish Vegan Festival Sandra Higgins presentation What Other Animals Need From Us on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74OzTrAgbDQIrish Vegan Festival http://www.irishveganfestival.com/Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary http://edenfarmedanimalsanctuary.com/Go Vegan World https://goveganworld.com/Matilda's Promise http://www.matildaspromise.org/