Concerns Over Animal Treatment in Australian Pig Abattoirs Leads to Investigation

A pig abattoir in Melbourne, Australia, has suspended operations following an investigation into allegations of animal mistreatment. Animal activists filmed pigs being stunned using carbon dioxide gas—a legal and widespread process—at several abattoirs earlier this year. The footage prompted calls for urgent investigation and increased scrutiny of the pork industry.

Source: ABC News In-depth/Youtube

Animals Australia, an Animal rights organization, reviewed the footage and discovered multiple examples of alleged animal cruelty at Australian Food Group (AFG), a Melbourne abattoir. The video shows pigs being struck with paddles, prodded, and kicked while some get caught in machinery.

Animals used in farming and meat production in Victoria are exempt from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act if they comply with relevant codes and standards. Animals Australia claims that the footage shows AFG breaching the Australian standard for hygienic meat production and transportation, warranting investigation for potential contraventions of animal cruelty laws.

Regulator PrimeSafe launched an investigation into the “serious and disturbing allegations” after Animals Australia filed a complaint. The regulator instructed AFG to install CCTV cameras in its CO2 gas chambers as a licensing condition. Woolworths, a major supermarket chain, confirmed that AFG ceased operating as an abattoir several days later.

Animals Australia also filed a complaint against Diamond Valley Pork, another abattoir that supplies Coles and Woolworths. The complaint alleges that pigs were forced to walk over unconscious or dead animals, a practice explicitly against the industry’s own standards.

Australian Pork Limited, the industry body, has received over $50 million in government funding for research and development initiatives over the past decade. However, none of the funding has been invested in finding alternatives to CO2 stunning of pigs. Dr. Jed Goodfellow from the Australian Alliance for Animals called for greater oversight of public funding expenditure and the installation of cameras in abattoirs to ensure transparency.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt stated that he is open to considering alternatives to carbon dioxide stunning and is committed to working with the industry to continually improve animal welfare practices.

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