Cruelty in Slaughterhouses and on Factory Farms – Just Part of the Job
P. MarkPhoto credit: P. Mark
The recent expose of animal abuse at yet another Australian facility has authorities once again scrambling to save the industry’s bacon – literally.
Authorities raided Wally’s Piggery at Murrumbateman, near Canberra, in early August after receiving video footage from Animal Liberation ACT and NSW that allegedly showed workers using a sledgehammer to bludgeon pigs as well as sows with open sores and buckets filled with dead piglets. Officials have also visited a second piggery near Young that is linked to the Murrumbateman property but as of yet have taken no action against the owners of the facilities or the workers accused of abusing the animals other than monitoring.
The treatment of the animals at these particular facilities is no isolated event. Following another exposé earlier this year at the Hawkesbury Valley Abattoir in New South Wales (NSW), inspections found breaches of animal welfare guidelines in all 10 domestic abattoirs in the state. It is interesting to note that the Hawkesbury Valley Abattoir (which the NSW Department of Primary Industries inspected four times in 2011 but surprisingly found no breaches) were eventually fined more than $5,000 for abuse that included animals being beaten with iron bars. This is after the NSW Food Authority described the abuse as “acts of gross animal mistreatment”.
Every time video footage emerges of extreme cruelty and malicious abuse at slaughterhouses or on factory farms, we are told that it is an isolated incident. It’s time to face the facts, cruelty and abuse are simply part of raising and slaughtering animals for human consumption.
The abuse of pigs and other animals will not stop as long as they are being killed for their flesh. It is important that people are aware of the suffering that goes into every piece of meat that is consumed, so please always speak up for animals and remind your friends and family why it is so important to go vegan.
Posted by Ashley Fruno
