Fresh footage from the Local Meat Co at Sheffield abattoir showing alleged animal cruelty released

A month since the initial footage of five Tasmanian abattoirs engaging in alleged animal cruelty was revealed, more vision has been released from a slaughterhouse in the state’s North-West. WARNING: Graphic.

Another Tasmanian abattoir is in the firing line after new footage emerged of alleged animal cruelty.

Hidden camera footage released by the Farm Transparency Project (FTP) shows the alleged inhumane slaughter of animals at the Local Meat Co abattoir at Sheffield.

The FTP released some footage from the abattoir and four other Tasmanian slaughterhouses last month but has since unveiled more vision from the Local Meat Co facility.

In a statement that was released following the initial release of the footage, the company said that in September 2023 activists trespassed its abattoir to film secretly.

“The Local Meat Co condemns all mistreatment of animals and the footage is unacceptable,” the statement read.

One of the cows at the Local Meat Co abattoir at Sheffield. Picture: Supplied.

“We took immediate and significant actions including upgrades and improvements to our facility, including welding bars around the chute to further protect sheep.”

The Local Meat Co said two of the workers seen the vision had their employment terminated and all remaining staff had been retrained around animal welfare obligations.

“We will not tolerate this behaviour and have introduced a one strike and you’re gone policy,” they said.

“We immediately reached out to the Tasmanian Government via their Biosecurity team and their concerns have been addressed.”

FTP strategy and campaigns director Harley McDonald-Eckersall the alleged mistreatment was unacceptable.

“We documented some of the most brutal treatment of cows and sheep we have witnessed in recent years,” Ms McDonald-Eckersall said.

“By allowing this slaughterhouse to continue operating in the face of this footage, the state government is sending a message that this kind of treatment of animals is OK and will lead to no ramifications.”

After the release of the initial footage, the state government set up a taskforce aimed to strengthen animal welfare practices across livestock production.

“Not only is this taskforce led by representatives from the animal slaughter industry, who have a strong interest in preserving current practices, it fails to take into account the fact that our footage reveals multiple violations of existing state and federal regulations,” Ms McDonald-Eckersall said.

“If slaughterhouses in Tasmania are routinely acting against current legislation, why should anyone believe that they would respect new regulations?”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said that Local Meat Co and the other four slaughterhouses were being investigated.

“What’s important is that we learn from what we’ve seen, and the footage that we’ve seen is unacceptable,” Mr Rockliff said.

“Animal cruelty is abhorrent; an investigation is taking place, and we must do all we can to have the checks and balances as well.

“That’s why we’ve increased that resource when it comes to biosecurity officers to support greater animal welfare.”

Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff said the government needed to enact regulated CCTV surveillance and monitoring.

“There is systemic cruelty in the abattoir industry – not just a few ‘bad apples’,” Dr Woodruff said.

“The meat industry cannot pretend systemic slaughterhouse brutality is not happening, and neither can the government.

“This is a deeply uncomfortable and cruel truth companies and Primary Industries Minister Jo Palmer are trying to hide from.”

Originally published as Fresh footage from the Local Meat Co at Sheffield abattoir showing alleged animal cruelty released