Grazier who helps drought-affected farmers reveals he’s been inundated with phone calls from furious vegans – with one telling him ‘lettuce has a heartbeat’
- Brendan Farrell is the founder of the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners group
- He slammed vegan protesters after their day of demonstrating on Monday
- He even claimed one vegan rang him and claimed lettuce has a heartbeat
An Australian grazier who runs a charity taking hay to drought-stricken farmers has revealed he has been inundated with phone calls from furious vegan protesters.
Brendan Farrell, founder of the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners group, said one woman even told him that lettuce has a heartbeat.
He slammed the protesters who chained themselves to vehicles in Melbourne’s CBD and stormed abattoirs in New South Wales and Queensland on Monday.
‘Vegans are going bananas. Blockades left, right and centre. Flinders Street Station is in chaos. Abattoirs chained up, people locking themselves up here, there and everywhere,’ he said in a Facebook video.
‘I am just gobsmacked with some of the bulls**t that’s coming out these people’s mouths on what they are trying to achieve.’
Farrell said that one woman phoned him and tried to claim that lettuces are alive.
‘I answer every call because that’s what I do – and the Sheila goes she didn’t like the last post I done on Facebook because lettuces have got a heartbeat… Lettuce. Has. A. Heartbeat,’ he said.
‘Some people have just got no bloody idea. None.’
Farrell then taunted the vegans, boasting that his cows will make delicious steaks come Christmas time.
‘I’m out feeding cows and I can tell you what there’s a steer here that’s going to be bloody delicious at Christmas time. I can’t wait to hook into it. That’s just me. That’s what we do.
Animal activists storm a farm to protest against the production of meat for human consumption
‘Next door neighbour’s running lamb at the moment. Bet you he is licking his chops too at Christmas time. Fair Dinkum,’ he said.
On Monday, 39 protesters in Melbourne were arrested and charged – including a 15-year-old – and commuters were left delayed and outraged.
Police in the NSW Tabelands arrested nine protesters after they stormed an abattoir on Mazamat Road and chained themselves to a conveyor at 4am.
Protesters also marched in Hobart and through the Sydney CBD after meeting at Hyde Park.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the activists were ‘green-collar criminals’ who were harming Australian farmers.
‘This is just another form of activism that I think runs against the national interest, and the national interest is being able to farm their own land,’ he told 2GB.
The protests were organised by an activist group called Aussie Farms.
The Morrison government has vowed tougher penalties for the website after those running it refused to take down a map of farmers’ addresses and contact details.
‘I’m expecting state governments – as I’m sure they will – to do their jobs,’ he said.
Police move in on animal rights protesters who had blocked the intersections of Flinders and Swanston Street, in Melbourne on Monday April 8