AACT Action at AgFest Against Rodeos

AACT Action at AgFest Against Rodeos
Rodeo Tasmania Exhibit
Site M30, Main Street
@ AGFEST
Rural Youth Quercus Park, Carrick
1pm, Thursday May 2nd

Members and supporters of Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania (AACT)* will be staging a protest in front of the Rodeo Tasmania exhibition site at Agfest on Thursday.

Rodeos are condemned by every animal welfare organisation in the world, including the Australian RSPCA and all state branches**, for the cruelty they inherently inflict on the defenceless animals that are forced to participate in them.

The acceptance of Rodeo Tasmania’s application to exhibit and promote their “sport” at Agfest by the Agfest committee reinforces the idea that rodeos are acceptable as a form of entertainment.

“By protesting, AACT members seek to create an awareness of the animal cruelty associated with rodeos,” said Neon Lang spokesperson for AACT, “We understand that many people attend rodeos primarily as a social event but there are many other ways to bring communities together that don’t involve the abuse and exploitation of animals.”

Further to hilighting the plight of animal abuse, AACT members will also be issuing a fair warning of possible boycott campaigns to businesses that may be considering sponsorship of these events, one of the key aims of the Rodeo association’s presence at this years festival.

“We have been very successful in the past two years in educating rodeo sponsors about what they are actually promoting. In many cases we have seen sponsorships end or put under review as a result of this awareness campaign.” said Mr Lang, “At Agfest, in a respectful manner, we will be making it clear to any business or organisation that may be considering sponsorship of rodeos in Tasmania that they will become part of our ongoing campaign in which we encourage Tasmanian’s, aswell as visitors to the state, to boycott those institutions. They risk being part of our Black List: a directory of places NOT to spend your money!”

*AACT rodeo campaign link:
http://www.aact.org.au/rodeos.htm

**RSPCA Tas rodeo campaign link:
http://www.rspcatas.org.au/aboutus/campaigns/tasmanianrodeos/

Animals Australia rodeo campaign link:
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/rodeos.php
Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania (AACT)