Australia is a very poor performer under the VACI, due largely to the high level of animal protein in the Australian diet.
Human rights and animal rights are two aspects of the same struggle against injustice.
Peter Tatchell
Australia is a very poor performer under the VACI, due largely to the high level of animal protein in the Australian diet.
Australians are highly dependent on animals, having around 8.8 animals per person (more than double the global average of 4) and slaughtering around 27.2 animals per person / year (almost triple the global average of 9.7). The vast majority of Australian animals are confined in factory farms, particularly in pigs and poultry production. A significant proportion of cows (including dairy cows) are also raised or “finished” in intensive systems.
Australians consume the second highest number of land-based animals (after the United States) and the second highest proportion of land-based animal protein in the diet (after the Netherlands). This is despite the fact that a Roy Morgan poll found that the number of people in Australia who identify as totally or mostly vegetarian rose from 9.7% to 11.2% between 2011 and 2016.
Australia was given a “C” under the Animal Protection Index (API), and ranked relatively well under the Sanctioning Cruelty category. This is largely due to the presence of comprehensive anti-animal cruelty legislation at a state and territory level, although the law continues to permit a range of cruel practices, particularly to farm animals and wild animals. Learn more about the quality of Australia’s regulatory framework on the Animal Protection Index here.