ANIMAL liberationists have declared war on farmers’ privacy.
Extremists determined to remove animal husbandry from agriculture have made public an open database of addresses, business details and in some cases financial details of farming operations across the entire country.
The clickable map went live online on Sunday and by Monday morning there was outrage.
NSW Farmers president James Jackson put it succinctly when he said the core interest of the group – headed by animal activist Chris Delforce – was stopping animal agriculture in Australia.
“This group hides behind animal welfare,” he said.
Mr Jackson is right when he says “it’s scary how invasive and encompassing the database is.
“They have obviously spent a lot of time and money building it and if they were looking to illicit outrage from the farming community they did.”
He described the organisation propping up Mr Delforce as a monolith.
It is listed with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission as based at 3/30 Belmore St Ryde with responsible people listed as Mr Delforce, Matthew Lynch and Melissa McDonald.
Mr Delforce has twice run in Victorian state elections for the Animal Justice Party, in 2014 he won 1.5 per cent of the primary vote.
Single-issue politicians have always been dangerous, and that is how Mr Delforce has cast himself, the front man for donors who will remain faceless.
Dorrigo dairy farmer Julie Moore showed one of The Land’s correspondents where photos of her property that appear on the map must have been taken from and it is clear whoever took the photograph not only trespassed, but ignored biosecurity signs.
That the makers of this map exhort people to post videos, photographs and information about farming operations to which they have provided the address makes clear their intention to expand the document.
Therein lies a massive problem.
“These people are providing a roadmap of Australia to potential criminals,” said Mr Jackson.
This does not sit well with NSW Police.
Head of the NSW Rural Crime Prevention Team, Detective Inspector Cameron Whiteside, urged anyone experiencing trespass or other criminal behaviour that makes them feel threatened to immediately contact their local police station or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or in an emergency dial 000.
