The Australian Meat Industry Council and Livestock SA say they want the same as animal rights groups – to stamp out unacceptable treatment of livestock – but criminal trespass is not the answer.
It follows a protest at Adelaide Hills abattoir Strath Pastoral on Friday, when animal activists from Adelaide Animal Save and Aussie Farms broke into the facility and spent hours on the roof.
They initially demanded a guided tour of the facility with their cameras, but eventually agreed to climb down if they were given a lamb. Twenty-three protesters were reported for criminal trespass.
Last month they released hidden video footage from the facility showing the alleged poor stunning of pigs, sheep and cattle, and drowning of pigs in a scalding tank.
Aussie Farms said its aim was to draw attention to this footage but also the “inherent cruelty of the industry and myth of humane, ethical slaughter”.
It claims it has exposed animal cruelty in 19 abattoirs since 2011.
Spokesperson Chris Delforce says the industry has “hidden in secrecy for too long” and consumers have a right to know what they are paying for.
“Hidden camera footage has proven to be the only alternative to the happy imagery and feel-good buzzwords forced on them daily through clever marketing,” he said.
“The reality behind the neatly packaged products on supermarket shelves is the brutal slaughter of an animal who desperately didn’t want to die.”
AMIC chief executive officer Patrick Hutchinson says the industry is committed to the highest animal welfare and animal activists are putting themselves in harm’s way trespassing on a manufacturing site.
“If it is a meat eater versus vegan debate and their clear agenda is just to shut the industry down, there is nothing to discuss, but if it is good animal welfare – we want the same thing.”
He says the industry is committed to ensuring the wellbeing of every animal from paddock to slaughter and all abattoirs must comply with the Animal Welfare Standards legislated in the state that they operate in.
He says the voluntary Australian Livestock Processing Animal Welfare Certification System, developed by AMIC and managed by Aus-Meat, takes these standards further.
He estimates 80 per cent of cattle and about 60pc of lamb processed in Australia are part of this scheme, but says they are working on more AMIC members and non-members signing up, especially smaller facilities.
The certification scheme is independently audited and was developed with input from groups such as Animals Australia.
We have to work on continual improvement and support the industry to eliminate unacceptable practices – it is not enough to say it, we must do it,” Mr Hutchinson said.
Livestock SA chief executive officer Andrew Curtis says animal welfare underpins everything the livestock industry does and notes that SA was the first state to adopt the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines.
“All abattoirs in SA must adhere to these animal welfare practices, not just farmers, and we stand next to the RSPCA and all other parties calling out any inappropriate behaviour,” he said.
He says their first concern was for the welfare of the animals which were held over the weekend, but says there was also a serious biosecurity breach with the sheep handed over, as stock is not meant to leave a processing facility once it has arrived.
Strath Pastoral passes RSPCA scrutiny
STRATH Pastoral – the target of the protest action – fears similar dissent may occur at other abattoirs.
Management of the family-owned business say it was too dangerous to operate with protesters on the roof but are relieved to get back to business this week.
Responding to Stock Journal’s questions, they say two employees had their contracts terminated as a result of the video footage illegally obtained with hidden cameras in late 2017, but only released last month.
Management says it has hosted RSPCA inspectors twice this year with all procedures and processes approved and is regularly audited by PIRSA.
It says it complies with a range of “rigorous animal welfare standards” set out in the Australian standards for the hygienic production and transportation of meat and meat products for human consumption, as well as codes of practice for the welfare of animals set out by the Primary Industries Standing Committee.
Management says it was a “devastating decision” to hand over a lamb to meet the protesters’ demands, but had to weigh up the distress for the sheep being separated from its flock with the economic impact on the 30 staff who rely on the abattoir for their income.
