A MAN is in custody being questioned after he allegedly broke into a West Australian piggery and uploaded a video of the facility on a vegan activist social media page.
Vegan activist James Warden, who is believed to live in Mt Helena and a woman broadcast a video live from inside a West Australian piggery on Sunday night for more than an hour.
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READ NOWIn the footage, Mr Warden says he is trying to show consumers the conditions their food comes from.
“These animals are being confined to these tiny areas and being subjugated,” he said.
A WA police spokesman told AAP a man was assisting with enquiries and investigations into the incident were ongoing.
The brazen broadcast prompted Agriculture Minister David Littleproud to ramp up pressure on an animal rights group to pull down a controversial map of farm locations.
Mr Littleproud said the piggery was on the Aussie Farms map, which details the location of hundreds of farms and abattoirs where the group says animals are being exploited.
“The safety of farming families and their children is at risk here. If this activist attack map remains online, I fear someone will be seriously hurt or worse,” he said on Tuesday.
The minister said Aussie Farms knew full well its map was being used to plan attacks on family businesses.
“Aussie Farms should stop being so reckless and pull the farm map down before someone is killed,” he said.
He also called for states to strengthen trespass laws after an animal activist received a $350 fine for her third offence.
Earlier in the month, Mr Warden posted on social media that a WA farmer had “unlawfully discharged a firearm … in the presence of … concerned citizens after assaulting them while they were in their car on public property”.
Jason Parravicini denied firing his gun to intimidate vegan activists who filmed calves at his property, saying he was instead scaring vermin away from livestock feed.