Turkeys in Australian factory farms. Credit:Animal Liberation ACT and NSW Yet at this time of year, this compassion is not often extended to those whose role is at the very heart of many celebrations. I am, of course, talking about animals. Animals who are used for our food, to be exact. Most Christmas advertising centres on a turkey, or perhaps the leg of a pig, or for our summer-style of festive celebrations, a bucket of prawns. These items (since they are certainly not supposed to be seen as the animals they once were) have become ingrained in our traditions and celebrations. As evidence of this, we Australians eat approximately one kilogram of turkey per person per year, with most of this meat consumed during one week at Christmas.

Turkeys in Australian factory farms. Credit:Animal Liberation ACT and NSW According to the Australasian Turkey Federation, about 75 per cent of turkeys are sold for the Christmas market. Clearly turkeys being on our plates is a cultural habit, rather than a preferred taste. But before we once again celebrate in this same fashion, let us consider the turkey on the table and the life she had. For starters, virtually all of the five million turkeys slaughtered annually in Australia are factory farmed. Turkeys who are bred, grown and slaughtered for the meat industry are killed at an average of 12 weeks of age, and spend their entire lives locked inside filthy sheds with thousands of fellow turkeys. Each bird lives in a space the size of an A3 sheet of paper.

As with most factory farmed animals, turkeys are bred to put on as much weight as possible in the shortest length of time. This focus on maximum growth invariably comes at the expense of the health and welfare of individual animals. For Australian turkeys, they are susceptible to heart disease, painful swollen joints, degeneration of the hip joints, and crippled legs and feet. Their bodies are now so genetically distorted that, in many cases, they cannot even breed naturally, but must be artificially inseminated, which in itself is a degrading and disturbing process. To paint a vivid picture of their growth rates, a 2007 report by the US group Farm Sanctuary quoted an industry publication that explained that, if a three-kilogram human baby grew at the same rate, at 18 weeks of age the child would weigh about 227 kilograms. This is an alarming image, and the sad reality for turkeys and the other 600 million animals who are factory farmed in this country each year. Factory farming causes immense suffering to the largest number of animals in Australia. Behind closed doors and out of sight, animals are kept in a state of permanent confinement, crammed together in cages or sheds for the duration of their short lives. Producers also use a variety of methods to increase production, such as mutilation practices, the use of artificial lighting and selective breeding. Factory farming continues to be the dominant form of animal farming in Australia, but it is being forced into the light.

Every year, more people are learning about where their food comes from and how meat, eggs and dairy are produced. As a result, in 2016 there has been a marked rise in the number of articles exploring higher welfare meat options and, better yet, animal-free recipes and a plant-based diet altogether. Veganism is reaching new heights in Australia. A country, known for its love of barbecues and meat eating, is now home to 2.1 million vegetarians and vegans - about 11 per cent of the population - according to 2016 Roy Morgan research. We are also the third-fastest growing vegan market in the world. In the words of Michael Kirby, former Justice of the High Court and Voiceless patron:"The industry can no longer hide behind deceptive images of sunny pastures, happily frolicking lambs and well-crafted statements of industry improvements to mask the realities of factory farming. "Too many of us now know the image of a lone pig locked into a steel stall barely big enough for her body. And the chickens crammed into wire cages no bigger than an A4 page, fighting for space to even spread their wings as they are treated as an egg production line."

Loading So this festive season, let's make compassion our gift to animals and leave them off our plates. Elise Burgess is Head of Communications at Voiceless, the animal protection institute.