Slaughter footage: Animal activists claim cows’ throats slit while conscious

Animal activists have taken footage at a Victorian abattoir, which they allege shows cows’ throats being slit while they are conscious.

A Farm Transparency Project activist downloads footage taken by hidden cameras in Ralphs Meat works.

Animal activists allege conscious cattle had their throats slit at Ralphs Meat Company’s Seymour abattoir in February, prompting a federal government investigation.

Farm Transparency Project activists say their footage, taken in February, shows cattle at the abattoir showing “signs of consciousness after stunning and even after their throats had been slit – suffering for minutes”.

Warning: This footage contains graphic imagery.

The footage has sparked a federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry investigation, given the abattoir is export accredited.

The Weekly Times understands Agriculture Victoria has also got involved to determine if Ralphs breached the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Victoria’s meat industry regulator PrimeSafe has confirmed a complaint was lodged against Ralph’s on March 21 and the matter had been referred to DAFF.

Ralphs responded by stating: “We are aware of illegally captured footage being taken of our facility.”

“Following an internal review we have already put in place several corrective actions to further bolster animal welfare outcomes. We are co-operating with the DAFF, as the regulator, as they also conduct their own review,” the company stated.

“Like all livestock processing facilities, Ralphs Meat Company is already highly regulated.

“We have a government on-plant veterinarian who oversees all livestock processed at our facility and our day-to-day regulatory requirements are being met, including animal welfare.”

A cow in Ralphs Meat works that has just had its throat cut

FTP spokesman Harley McDonald-Eckersall said the footage, taken in February using hidden cameras, captured the pain and suffering animals routinely experience in Australian slaughterhouses.

“First off, we’re seeing cows sent to slaughter in incredibly poor physical health. Many of them are ex-dairy cows, sent to slaughter because they can’t produce the same amount of milk anymore,” she said.

“You can see that they are emaciated, with swollen, painful udders that almost touch the ground. Then, we see that the actual process of slaughter is not the quick, painless death that consumers are led to believe is the reality in Australian slaughterhouses. Instead, these gentle animals suffer for minutes, many remaining conscious even after their throats have been cut.”

She also said that most consumers weren’t aware that dairy cows were sent to slaughter at such a young age.

“When most people think of dairy, they don’t think of it as a slaughter industry. While cows don’t have to die to produce milk, they are still killed as soon as they become less profitable to a dairy farm.

“On high production dairy farms, where cows are milked up to three times a day, this happens at between 3-4 years of age. Naturally, a cow could live for up to twenty years.”