Animal rights activists have been slammed for saying eating bacon is as bad as smoking and calling for a tax on the beloved breakfast meat.
Treasurer Scott Morrison was quick to respond to the call made by Ashley Fruno, the associate director of PETA Australia.
‘First the PC brigade want to take our statues, now they want to take our bacon! Pigs might fly,’ said the outraged politician.
Animal rights activists have been slammed for saying eating bacon (pictured, stock image) is as bad as smoking and calling for a tax on the beloved breakfast meat
Treasurer Scott Morrison was quick to respond to the call made by Ashley Fruno (pictured in Bangkok), the associate director of PETA Australia
‘We are not going to let these political activists into your fridge or your pantry.’
Australian Pork Limited CEO Andrew Spencer was equally scathing, calling PETA’s idea ‘crazy’ and ‘not even worth considering’, The Daily Telegraph reported.
‘Any reasonable person knows comparing eating bacon to smoking is a ridiculous comparison,’ he said.
Ms Fruno pointed to the World Health Organization’s classification of processed meats as carcinogenic in a column in The Advertiser.
‘First the PC brigade want to take our statues, now they want to take our bacon! Pigs might fly,’ said Scott Morrison after Ashley Fruno (pictured, in Manila) called for a tax on bacon
‘In an effort to become healthier – not to mention more sensible – shouldn’t we raise taxes on the other cancer-causing substances we put in our mouths?’ she asked.
She also cited United Nations studies which suggest our appetite for meat is harming the environment, and called for taxes to match those on tobacco.
‘Adding an excise on processed meats to match the tobacco tax would at least tip the scales towards a healthier, cleaner and kinder future for Australia,’ she said.
According to Meat and Livestock Australia, the average Australian aged two and above eats 4.7 grams of bacon a day.
Australia was named the world’s biggest meat-eater in 2015, overtaking carnivorous countries such as the US and Argentina.
Australian Pork Limited CEO Andrew Spencer was equally scathing, calling PETA’s idea of taxing bacon (pictured, stock image) ‘crazy’ and ‘not even worth considering’