WAFARMERS has exceeded its $4500 target in its crowdfunding campaign to send Jona Weinhofen to shearing school.
In total the farm lobby group has raised $5500 thanks to a $1000 cheque that arrived in the post on Friday morning.
The campaign was initiated as a result of the organisation’s frustration with PETA’s anti-shearing advert – featureing Mr Weinhofen, a member of the band I Killed The Prom Queen - which WAFarmers said misrepresented the Australian wool industry and the practices of its shearers.
This is the first time WAFarmers has run such a campaign and it said the response was overwhelmingly positive, with 90 per cent of the funding being raised in the first two weeks.
WAFarmers president Dale Park said responding to such a blatant attack was important.
“PETA reported an annual turnover of $52 million dollars last financial year, compared with our turnover of roughly $1.6 million dollars,” Mr Park said.
“We don’t have the resources or funds that large organisations like PETA do but that doesn’t mean we’ll sit back and be bullied.”
The campaign has garnered support from across Australia and overseas with special thanks to Burracoppin farmer Geoff Brown and Moonijin farmer Eric Emmott who personally contributed $1000 dollars each.
“WAFarmers constantly promotes the high animal welfare standards which our members maintain and strive to improve but all it takes is one misleading campaign to undo that work,” Mr Park said.
An invitation has now been sent to Mr Weinhofen and WAFarmers awaits his response.
