The latest outburst by PETA President Ingrid Newkirk clearly indicates confusion in her organisation about its campaign against the Australian wool and sheep industry, according to AWI Chairman Ian McLachlan.
"PETA is obviously feeling the pressure of the AWI legal case and the severe criticism it has been subjected to in the US over the charging of two of its employees with 62 counts of animal cruelty arising from the killing and dumping of dogs taken from animal shelters," Mr McLachlan said.
"Last Thursday and Friday, AWI's legal team presented a substantial body of evidence before the court.
"There are a number of indications that the legal action is having an effect on PETA. They seem to have withdrawn their representatives from Australia and have scaled right down on their campaign here.
"One day we hear in the media that PETA is coming to Australia at the invitation of the Australian Woolgrowers Association (AWGA), then we get a total denial of that through PETA spokesman Matthew Rice."
Mr Rice told the ABC on 26 July that "the post-mulesing spray is much better than no painkiller at all, of course, but ... there are better ways to prevent sheep from being infected with flystrike".
Mr Rice went on to say that "the pressure will certainly increase as time goes on. The longer that the Australian wool industry digs in their heels and continues to mutilate animals and send millions of sheep to gruesome deaths overseas, PETA will continue to escalate our campaign to educate the international public about these practices".
"Then on 30 July, Ms Newkirk assures us that AWGA and PETA are still in discussions and is 'hopeful' that PETA and AWGA can reach an agreement that will satisfy both parties," Mr McLachlan said.
Mr McLachlan said that Australian woolgrowers would do well to ask themselves why Ms Newkirk wanted to fly the AWGA flag so bravely.
"AWGA promised at the end of June to table a draft agreement it was negotiating with PETA 'in a week or so'. Still nothing," he said.
"There is no agreement possible with PETA - PETA is an extremist organisation with a goal of closing down the industry. Step one of that goal is the immediate cessation of mulesing and the livestock export trade. That is simply not on. AWI will not agree to pass any role for animal welfare to an organisation which is determined to get rid of the industry itself.
"AWI supports the statements made by WoolProducers' President Robert Pietsch and state wool producer bodies that PETA has no role in determining animal welfare standards and practices in Australia.
"This directly conflicts with the AWGA position which is to give the world's most radical animal rights group a formal role in determining how we manage our sheep.
"We are also now seeing pressure being put on co-applicants in the AWI legal case to withdraw their support, particularly in Western Australia. This is being carried out by a small group of dissident woolgrowers who, wittingly or unwittingly, are aiding and abetting PETA's campaign.
