Sainsbury's will be given one last chance to avert a public relations disaster on the day before the demonstrations take place. In London, actress Pam Ferris (Darling Buds of May, Where the Heart Is, Matilda) will show her disgust at Sainsbury's role in the world's biggest wildlife massacre. She will cut up her Sainsbury's Loyalty Card outside the company's head offices at Stamford House, Stamford Street, SE1 at 11.00 am (UK time) on FRIDAY, 24 JULY - unless she receives assurances that Sainsbury's will abandon its trade in 'roo meat. A refusal will spark the 'International Day of Action'.

On the next day, Saturday, Viva! supporters all over Britain will be outside Sainsbury's stores dressed as Crocodile Dundee or kangaroos. They will be wearing cork fringed hats and holding mock 'barbies' at which baby kangaroos will be the dish of the day. They will bring home to Sainsbury's customers the brutality involved in the kangaroo meat trade. Hundreds of thousands of leaflets will be handed out spelling out the facts behind the neat Cellophane wrapping. They will highlight the plight of millions of kangaroos and their babies which are killed every year.

The Hon. Richard Jones MLC, New South Wales, will also be present at Viva!'s events in the UK on 24 and 25 July. He says: "I support Viva!'s campaign because huge numbers of pregnant female kangaroos and their babies are being slaughtered every night and families destroyed and scattered through the blood lust of an indescribably cruel industry. Sainsbury's in its greed for profits must take responsibility for the horror inflicted on innocent wildlife. They are to be condemned for supporting what amounts to genocide of kangaroos merely to make 30 pieces of silver. Sainsbury's has blood on its hands."

Juliet Gellatley, zoologist and Director of Viva! says: "The Australian Government is sanctioning this wildlife massacre and, through Sainsbury's, is selling the results of this carnage to a misinformed British public as part of its promotion of 'exotic' meats. Every excuse offered by Sainsbury's for the extermination of kangaroos (supplied to it by the

Australian High Commission) is scientifically unsupportable - it is being done simply for profit. Customers have no way of knowing this unless we tell them. This is local consumer choice in practice."

ommission) is scientifically unsupportable - it is being done simply for profit. Customers have no way of knowing this unless we tell them. This is local consumer choice in practice."

Ms Gellatley's recent carried out a controversial fact-finding visit to Australia in which she carried out dozens of media interviews, including an appearance on A Current Affair, The Midday Show and various national news programmes. As a result of her visit, she has authored a detailed report on the kangaroo killing industry. Called Under Fire, it challenges all the claims made by Sainsbury's and the AHC in defence of its trade in kangaroo meat.

It accuses them of over-estimating the kangaroo population and underestimating the numbers killed. Through scientific studies, it challenges claims that kangaroos damage crops, compete with sheep for grazing and destroy the environment.

"Most disturbing of all is the blatant cruelty involved in the trade", adds Ms Gellatley, "particularly the destruction of millions of babies - 'joeys' - who are either wrenched from their mothers pouches and clubbed to death or are left to die from exposure".

Sainsbury's is now the last national chain store selling kangaroo meat. Safeway, Marks & Spencer and the Co-op have refused to stock it for moral reasons, Kwik Save, Morrisons and Asda say there is no demand for it. After a previous Viva! campaign, Tesco withdrew the meat from sale while Somerfield cancelled plans to introduce it. The decisions caused near hysteria in the kangaroo killing industry.

Australia's wildlife record is the worst in the world, according to Dr Ian Gunn, Animal Gene Storage & Resource Centre of Australia. Six kangaroo species have become extinct and 17 are classed as endangered or vulnerable. The nine remaining abundant species are being killed in their millions each year. The largest, healthiest animals are targeted, increasingly putting the genetic viability of populations at risk.

Dr Ian Gunn states: "... the continued slaughter of kangaroos has the potential to cause the extinction of a number of remaining species."

The industry claims that kangaroos are a major wheat crop pest. Not true. A four year government study showed that 95 per cent of wheat crops are never visited by kangaroos. Commercial killing takes place in the vast outback where crops are never grown. It also states that kangaroos compete for resources with sheep. This is grossly over estimated. A six year study at the University of New South Wales concluded: "There is NO evidence of a competitive effect of red kangaroos on sheep."

Juliet Gellatley concludes: "The real reason Australia is destroying its national emblem is money!"