NATIONALS member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy has launched a petition to defend the rights of Victorian farmers against unlawful animal activists.
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The petition supports a motion introduced to Parliament by the Nationals to ensure activists feel the full force of the law.
The action follows a large number of Victorian farmers being left exposed by a mass publication online of a map and personal addresses by activist group Aussie Farms.
Benalla Abattoir is listed on the Aussie Farms map along with other like businesses and farms in the North East.
Last week an employee discovered a camera inside the abattoir which was handed over to police.
The business had also been the recent target of multiple break-ins.
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Owner Colin Stuart welcomed the petition.
"We are like every other agricultural business and in the middle of a drought," Mr Stuart said.
"Pig farmers are struggling because of the price of grain and the rising costs to feed stock.
"To invest a heap of money on security for my business and to deter intruders when I'm not doing anything wrong, doesn't sound like a good investment to me."
Aussie Farms denied it put the Go-Pro in the abattoir.
"If Mr McCurdy believes that there’s no animal cruelty happening on farms and in slaughterhouses, why not allow consumers to make up their own minds rather than starting petitions intended to prevent them from doing so?," executive director Chris Delforce said.
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