Coles support for lobby group angers farmers Coles has angered farmers by supporting a group considered to be anti-farming and pro-vegan, with its active push for non-meat diets Picture: Thinkstock Source: The Courier-Mail COLES has provoked social media outrage from farmers after it decided to back a fundraising campaign by Animals Australia, a group accused of trying to destroy the country's farming industry. The supermarket giant was helping raise the funds by selling a "flying pig" shopping bag, with the proceeds going to the group, which has taken on farmers over live export and other animal welfare issues. The National Farmers Federation last night met with Coles in an attempt to get them to dump the campaign after complaints on the retailer's Facebook page and on Twitter. In a letter to the retailer, the NFF said the group's "active support for a non-meat diet" conflicted with the company being a supplier of fresh meat to Australian consumers, and a major customer of Australia's meat producers. "In fact, Coles' support for an organisation that is blatantly anti-farming and pro-veganism is extremely concerning for the nation's 130,000 farms, many of whom supply Coles," NFF chief executive Matt Linnegar said in the letter. It is extremely important that Coles note that Animals Australia is not an animal welfare group, as Coles has been purporting. They are a radical animal rights and activist group. As far as we are aware, they do not provide any on the ground assistance to support improving animal welfare: all funds that they raise are funnelled back into campaigns that seek to attack the Australian agricultural sector and support their agenda. No matter how limited the campaign, there is no doubt that this action will only serve to harm Australian farmers. Indeed Coles' own meat suppliers may be affected by Animals Australia campaigns in the future. Coles responded to the NFF by saying that engaging with Animals Australia and other community groups gave Coles an opportunity to listen and exchange information about practical supply chain issues.