Activists stick cigarette-style health warnings on meat products in Australian supermarkets

The NSW Farmers Association said the stickers were misinformation. Photo/Facebook.

Vegan activists have covered meat products with disturbing anti-meat stickers in some of the country's biggest supermarket chains.

Many of the stickers, which have been spotted on meat for sale at some Woolworths and Coles stores, resemble the confronting health warnings found on cigarette packages.

One features a photo of a diseased foot with the caption: "Meat consumption causes diabetes" while another has a photo of what appears to be heart surgery accompanied by the text: "Meat consumption causes heart disease".

Others come with a strong animal rights message.

One sticker, which includes a distressing photo of a dead cow, comes with the slogan: "You can't regulate violence. You can only abolish it" while another asks: "How can you be an animal lover and eat dead animals?" Both also include the pro-vegan website SavePoppy.com.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the global vegan group Anonymous for the Voiceless is responsible for the propaganda campaign.

The group's website claims it is "an animal rights organisation that specialises in street activism" which has carried out more than 2016 demonstrations in 376 cities and 56 countries.

The group holds "an abolitionist stance on animal exploitation".

The Daily Telegraph spoke with Kaj McBeth who said he had helped produce the stickers, but denied placing them on the meat products.

"The way I look at it, I am not doing anything illegal," Mr McBeth told the publication. "Whether people want to stick them in places is up to them, I am happy to facilitate that choice if you choose to make it."

While the stickers were found in only several stores, neither Coles or Woolworths have taken kindly to the guerilla tactics, with both supermarket chains reportedly contacting police over the stickers.

Unsurprisingly, the sticker campaign has divided the public.

While it has been controversial among meat eaters, many vegans defended the message behind them.

But a NSW Farmers Association spokesman told The Daily Telegraph the stickers were spreading misinformation.

"Farmers in NSW adhere to the world's best-practice animal welfare standards, and incorporating meat into a healthy, balanced diet is also recommended as part of the Australian Dietary Guidelines," he said.

According to Roy Morgan research, 10 per cent of New Zealanders now claim to eat an all or almost all vegetarian diet. This is up significantly from 2002, when only 1-2 per cent identified as vegetarian.

- News.com.au