On November 13, 2019, the Parliament of New South Wales passed
legislation aimed at dealing with the increasing threat to farmers
and their operations posed by animal rights activists in Australia
who have taken up physical property trespassing as a tactic to get
their various points across. The measure, entitled the Right to Farm Bill 2019, increases the
criminal penalties for aggravated trespass and creates a new
offense for inciting aggravated trespass.
As we
reported previously, animal rights activists in Australia have
become more aggressive in their tactics against farmers and other
animal enterprises. One such group — Aussie Farms —
recently created an internet-based interactive map that published
details about farms and other animal-based business enterprises,
including the precise grid coordinates at which such businesses can
be located. As reported by the Minister for Agriculture, trespass
on farms and rural properties has increased by 27% since 2014.
