SHEFFIELD, Australia – New footage has emerged, revealing alleged instances of animal cruelty at a Tasmanian abattoir in the state’s north. Activists are claiming that the Local Meat Co in Sheffield is the latest facility to come under scrutiny from the Farm Transparency Project (FTP) following the release of disturbing videos reportedly captured at Tasmanian Quality Meats (TQM) late last year.
The FTP released additional images and videos on Tuesday, alleging that they were obtained by “investigators [who] illegally entered and installed cameras” at Local Meat Co in 2023. The abattoir has since responded, condemning the alleged mistreatment of animals shown in the footage and expressing that they have taken immediate steps to improve their facility and retrain staff.
Furthermore, they have terminated two workers seen mishandling sheep in the footage and have retrained the rest of their staff on animal welfare obligations. However, Harley McDonald-Eckersall from the Farm Transparency Project has stated that the latest footage is part of a comprehensive investigation of five Tasmanian slaughterhouses, with more revelations expected to come to light.
In response to this, Minister for Primary Industries Jo Palmer announced the formation of a new investigative taskforce aimed at upholding the “highest standard of animal welfare” across the state’s livestock processing industry. However, Tasmanian Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff has accused the government of attempting to hide from the truth and called for regulated CCTV surveillance and monitoring to be implemented in abattoirs.
The Local Meat Co has affirmed that they do not tolerate mistreatment of animals, and the government has emphasized the importance of protecting Tasmania’s reputation in the red meat industry, following these recent revelations.