From today’s Canberra Times :

Activists plot animal farming revolution

TODAY, WITH CLAIRE LOW 17 May, 2011 04:00 AM Animal rights activists clad in farmyard creature costumes are manning an ''animal embassy'' tent on the lawns of Parliament House this week. Yesterday's contingent comprised animal advocacy organisation Our Place on Earth founding director Jodi Ruckley; cow-costumed Jessica Ferry of Wamboin; Karen Vincent of Holt who was dressed as a pig, together with her one-year-old son Noah Cornock; and Lefki Pavlidis of Melbourne who was dressed as a chicken. Joining them was Shine the border collie, who is a vegan and only eats vegetables, rice and pasta, and Wayne the Jack Russell-daschund cross, who is a ''freegan''. The activists aim is to raise awareness of the plight of factory-farmed animals. Ruckley said the point of being at Parliament House was to talk to the country's decision-makers and bring to them the message that she wanted factory farming stopped. ''We've set up an animal embassy tent to give a voice to the hundreds of thousands of animals such as pigs, chickens and cows who are living in factory farms.'' She said factory-farmed pigs had a similar fate to battery hens and were confined to small stalls where they could not express natural behaviour. ''I don't know if people know that animals out of these conditions are pleasant to be around. They've got amazing attributes, they're no different to the dogs and cats that live in our homes. It's unfair they're confined.'' Ruckley said there had, as yet, been no response from parliamentarians, but she and her fellow activists still hoped to speak to the Prime Minister. Ferry, a University of Canberra arts and journalism student, has been part of Animal Liberation ACT for years. ''We believe in giving animals the right of life,'' she said. ''We want to start a dialogue about banning factory farms.'' The suits were worn to help get good reactions from the public. ''The suits make us more approachable. We're all fluffy and nice and people are a lot more open to hearing our message,'' Ferry said. Activists will, from Monday, start a 500km ''Walk For Freedom'' to spread their message. The group will travel for 42 days from Canberra to Byron Bay with stops along the way at Sydney, Newcastle, Ballina and other towns along the Pacific Highway. They'll give away free vegan food and conduct silent protests near abattoirs and factory farms. Our Place on Earth founder Jodi Buckley, front, with Lefki Pavlidis (chicken), Karen Vincent (pig) with son Noah Cornock, 1, and Jessica Ferry (cow) on the lawns of Parliament House yesterday. Photo: RICHARD BRIGGS http://static.lifeislocal.com.au/multimedia/images/full/1243607.jpg