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Businesswoman Jan Cameron is helping fund efforts to save animals from cruelty. - Source: ONE News -
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A $2 million fight to save animals from cruelty is just the beginning, according to an animal rights watchdog.
As revealed on TV ONE's Sunday last night, Kathmandu founder Jan Cameron, one of New Zealand's richest women, is offering farm workers a reward of up to $30,000 to dob in their bosses for cruelty to animals.
She told Sunday she wants an end to sow stalls and caged chicken farming.
This morning on Breakfast Hans Kriek from Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE) said Cameron is willing to go as far as it takes to end factory farming in New Zealand.
"[Jan] doesn't support just any charity - she's supporting a cause that she knows is winnable. What she has decided is& we're going to start with the animal justice fund, and if more is required, more will come," said Kriek.
Kriek said Cameron's donation hasn't come out of nowhere.
"It's been in the planning stages for some time, and we've had a relationship with Jan Cameron for two years. She had been supporting us on a lower level, but she's decided that she really wants to see a change, and so she's stepping it up."
He said Cameron's input meant the budget to fight factory farming was vastly improved.
"Don't forget, these industries are very well resourced as well, but it's certainly going to make a big difference to our campaign."
The Animal Justice Fund being bankrolled by Cameron is comprised of three key components that look at raising public awareness, the ability to prosecute successfully and the whistleblowers' scheme, which will see those who provide information that lead to successful prosecution awarded up to $30,000.
He said the key thing is what New Zealanders think.
"Eight out of 10 New Zealanders are opposed to keeping chickens in battery hen cages, and are opposed to keeping sows in crates. People actually want these practices gone.
"The biggest component of the AJF is raising awareness ... often farmers make it look like something that it isn't - often it is factory farmed, but they give it nice labels to make it look like its free-range or something else," said Kriek.
Cameron has an empire employing 10,000 people across Australia in retail. Some of the company's profits are used to fund Cameron's causes, including the money earmarked to fight factory farming in New Zealand.
However, Cameron told Sunday she believes it won't be the money that influences employees to "dob in" their boss.
"I think fundamentally the whistleblowers aren't going to be hugely influenced by a reward. I think it's going to be their conscience, their feeling. I think that's their prime motivation."
She said the reward is to help out those who lose their jobs as a result of their actions.
Pork Industry Board CEO Sam McIvor rejects accusations of cruelty in the industry.
"We don't think [the bounty] is required," he said.
"At the end of the day, farmers have openly offered to be audited, and that's independently, and that's because they want to prove to consumers that they're looking after their pigs."
McIvor said the New Zealand industry's independent welfare audit is supported by a label "which gives consumers the assurance that if they're buying New Zealand pork, then the pigs will have passed the audit".
But Cameron does not accept that. She said her $2 million donation is "just the beginning" of her crusade.
"We're prepared to do what it takes to bring about the change," she said.
"This isn't a power trip. It's about positive change for the animals."
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Add a Comment:
Post new commentAlissa said on 2010-11-08 @ 07:12 NZDT: Report abusive post
Good on this woman for putting her personal fortune into positive action. It's more than most of us are doing. Unfortunately though, I don't think it will yield the results they desire. That is because farming is largely a family business in NZ and family members won't be dobbing in their own family. Where large scale enterprise does employ staff, I doubt those staff will risk their jobs for $30,000 or indeed only a portion of that. That won't last them long when rural jobs are so scarce.
IrishFellaInNZ said on 2010-11-08 @ 00:54 NZDT: Report abusive post
100% of my support goes towards this. It's about time something actually gets done about animal abuse in our industry. Too long have we had laws that are not being enforced; perhaps we need more personell to deal with it, I dont know. Either way, the fact that someone is out to make a difference because they have the capacity to do so is amazingly generous and they deserve our support, not our cynicism!
kate501 said on 2010-11-07 @ 22:52 NZDT: Report abusive post
Good on her. I applaud her for using profits to help factory-farmed animals in NZ. Too many people do not understand where their ham and eggs come from. It's time to wake up, NZ. It is not okay to put animals through agony just to supply us with cheap meat. Buy Freedom Farm ham and SPCA-approved free-range eggs. They aren't cruel to animals.
FRIENDS FOR THE LOVE OF ANIMALS said on 2010-11-07 @ 22:13 NZDT: Report abusive post
There are plenty of people who help the humans-who cares about the poor animals?? You Jan Cameron's obviously do, it.I wish more people cared about animals. The worst thing about Kiwis is their total denial about the level of their Animal Cruelty problems N.Z. Sometimes all it takes to make things better is for one person to decide to do something. It sounds as Jan is one of those persons who wont just look away when she see animals suffering but will look for a way to help reduce their pain.