Sheep arriving at the sale yards.

Why you should learn more about your super when it comes to animal welfare

News

Learning more about your super is always important. “How much money is in it?” and “What are the fees like?” are the usual questions we ask. But have you ever considered if your fund has an animal welfare policy?

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media

Finding out if your super fund has an animal welfare policy can help prevent you from unknowingly investing in animal cruelty like live exports, factory farming or cosmetic testing on animals.

Who is managing your super fund?

For many Australians, super is an out of sight and out of mind concept. Do you know who is your super fund is with? Or if you have only one account or multiple fund accounts?

If you don’t know, it’s time to find out. You can contact the Australian Tax Office if you're not sure which fund your super is being paid into or if you think you might have multiple accounts.

What is an animal welfare policy?

An animal welfare policy ensures that your fund is taking measures to avoid investing in industries that participate in animal cruelty. Some welfare policies are stronger than others - how much a policy protects animals varies from fund to fund.

Where is your money going?

There are many super funds in Australia but only a handful have an animal welfare policy. In fact, 90% of Australian major super funds DON’T have a position on animal welfare. Find out if yours is one of them by checking our super fund ranking table.

Superfund table

Why you should know

Our survey found that 66% of Australians agree that they would like their fund to avoid investing animal cruelty. But right now, your fund could be investing in cruel practices like live animal exports, intensive factory farming or even cosmetic testing on animals. To find out how your fund’s animal welfare policy measures up, check out the table below.

The time is now

Acting now is important, because your super fund is shaping more than just your future, it’s shaping the future of animals too.

If your super fund doesn’t appear on the table above, its most likely that it doesn’t have a position on animal welfare.

Your super impacts more than just your future

Pig depicted as a piggy bank

How factory farming is funded

Factory farming operations are typically financed by banks and investors, who allocate resources to industries that yield maximum profits.

Chick on a farm, NSW, Australia

Farm animal cruelty

From painful mutilations to rough handling and slaughter at a young age – animals on factory farms suffer on many levels.

More about