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Vegetarians call for boycott of Farm Aid concert
The Vegetarians International Voice for Animals** (Viva!) pressure group wants bands and fans to boycott Farm Aid, a charity concert organised by Michael Eavis, held in aid of farmers hit by foot-and-mouth.
Campaigner Becky Smith said she had written to the bands Coldplay, Toploader and Reef, who have already agreed to play the gig at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on October 27, asking them not to appear, and saying that the farmers had "..brought their problems on themselves."
Ms Smith said the organisation objected to compensation payouts given to disease-hit farmers, saying that she believed there were more worthy causes.
"We're doing it because we think that farmers have brought foot-and-mouth on themselves with the overcrowded condition of factory farms and the vast distances which animals are made to travel from farm to market and then to slaughter."
She added: "This is NOT a charitable cause"
She confirmed that Viva! was in the process of writing to other bands who had agreed to play and also to the acts who declined to perform, including U2 and Robbie Williams in a bid for their support as well.
Dairy farmer Michael Eavis previously stated: "Farmers have got a bad press. People think they all get huge subsidies and ride round in four-wheel-drive vehicles, but I know many farmers who can't even afford a car,"
Viva! intend to protest outside the concert on October 27.
