News

21 Jul 1998

Kangaroo campaign targets Sainsbury's with International Day of Action

In London, actress Pam Ferris (Darling Buds of May, Where the Heart Is, Matilda) will be showing her disgust at Sainsbury's playing a part in the slaughter of kangaroos for 'exotic' meat. 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 on FRIDAY, 24 JULY.

This will provide the spark which will ignite an 'International Day of Action' by local activists of Viva! and Australian wildlife groups against Sainsbury's supermarket on SATURDAY, 25 JULY. Viva! claims that Sainsbury's sale of kangaroo meat contributes to one of the biggest wildlife massacres in history.

All over Britain on the Day of Action (Saturday), Viva! supporters 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 be bringing 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 to highlight the plight of millions of kangaroos and their babies which are killed every year.

"We have extraordinary VIDEO FOOTAGE of the killing taking place, including kangaroos being shot in the throat and one having its leg sliced open to take a meat hook before being hauled up on to a truck while still conscious. Each female that is shot has her pouch searched for a joey. In one instance, the video shows a tiny, terrified joey being hauled out, thrown to the ground and the shooter grinding his heel on its head. His son then does the same and the little creature is left writhing in agony on the ground. This is the reality of Sainsbury's 'exotic' meats."

"The Australian Government is sanctioning the greatest wildlife massacre in the world 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 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."

As a result of a recent fact finding visit to Australia, Viva! has authored a detailed report on the kangaroo killing industry. Called Under Fire, it challenges all of the claims made by Sainsbury's in defence of its trade in kangaroo meat. It accuses the

store of over-estimating the kangaroo population and underestimating the numbers killed. Through scientific studies it also challenges Sainsbury's 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 and Booker Cash & Carry cancelled plans to introduce it.

"Six species of kangaroo have already been made extinct and with over 9 million being killed every year others will follow as Australia accelerates the exploitation of its wildlife", concludes Ms Gellatley. "It's no good us crying crocodile tears over animals such as tigers and rhinos once they have been virtually destroyed. For kangaroos, the time to act is now, while we can still save them. With 75 per cent of the world's species in decline or facing extinction it is vital that our supermarkets stop acting as Trojan horses for the destruction of the world's wildlife. We hope their customers will hit Sainsbury's in the only place which seems to matter to them - their wallet."