• • • Transporters told to know their rights
Livestock transporters, whether they are farmers or owner-operators, have been encouraged to know their rights and to use the law as a defence against activists who interfere and disrupt their work or damage property, while on the road or at their place of work. That was a key message at the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of WA (LRTAWA) annual conference in Bunbury on July 21. Owner drivers said activists were causing disruption to their employment and had become more of an issue for the industry. Livestock drivers were also seeing more of a problem accessing abattoirs.
Morison Legal barrister was questioned about the use of drones by animal activists, which seemed to be a more common occurrence around the truck yards. He said there were laws such as the trespass against goods and trespass against premises – and also assault. There were laws such as the trespass against goods and trespass against premises – and also assault. Mr Morison said if video footage was taken and used on social media to label a driver as an animal abuser, it could be a grounds for defamation. He said the driver or business needed to be identified sufficiently in order to qualify to sue for defamation but it was an option if social media was being used as a tool to slander or defame transporters.
