Animal food producers rely on government subsidies, artificially low prices, and influence over legislation and regulation to provide the cheap meat, eggs and dairy to which consumers have become accustomed.

As a result, Australians incur massive hidden costs associated with every animal product that are not visible at the checkout. These additional costs relate to animal suffering, damage to the environment, and healthcare.

The 2017 Voiceless Animal Law Lecture Series will examine the real costs of animal agriculture, and ask the question - could a tax on meat be the answer?

To answer this question and challenge the current system is lawyer and author of Meatonomics, David Robinson Simon.

David Robinson Simon was the first person to calculate the enormous hidden costs that the US animal food system imposes on taxpayers, animals and the environment, finding that these totalled to at least $414 billion annually.

For this exclusive Australian Lecture Series, Simon will discuss how US meat and dairy producers have influenced markets and consumer behaviour, and how Australian meat and dairy producers have already begun implementing the American playbook in a number of ways.

“The same forces are at work in Australia. Animal food producers have successfully pushed for legislation in a number of Australian states and territories that helps externalise their production costs and insulate them from scrutiny and liability,” said Simon.

“These measures keep prices of meat low and consumption high, and they help explain why Australians’ per capita meat consumption is among the highest in the world.”

The 2017 Voiceless Animal Law Lecture Series will challenge the relationship between industry, government and the consumer, and ask what cautionary tales Australia should learn from the US.