Farmyard friends get recognition

THEY say every dog has its day -- and, as it turns out, so do pigs, goats, sheep and other farm animals.In Hobart that day was yesterday as Parliament Lawns were transformed into a farmyard to commemorate World Farm Animals Day.
Observed each October 2 since 1983, World Farm Animals Day marks the birthday of Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi, a champion of humane, sustainable farming methods.
The public yesterday had the chance to interact with a range of animals rescued from factory farms, slaughterhouses and saleyards, including hens saved from a battery farm, Lochie the three-legged sheep dog and Willie the porky star of Charlotte's Web.
The formerly unwanted animals now live at Brightside Farm Sanctuary near Cygnet, and Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania spokeswoman Emma Haswell said they were "ambassadors for their kind".
"Fifty billion animals are slaughtered for meat every year, and I figure these ones are the lucky ones," she said.
"Most people's interaction with farm animals happens three times a day when they sit down to eat them.
"If people hung out with animals like these for a while, they'd realise that they're no different to their family pets."
Ms Haswell said that in Australia 10 million hens and five million pigs were slaughtered each year.
"As Gandhi said, `The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals'. When it comes to Australia and the way we treat our farm animals, we have a long way to go," Ms Haswell said.