Animal rights activists have converged on an abattoir in Northern Tasmania with the aim of ‘disrupting operations’ at the Cressy business.
The “vigil” at Tasmanian Quality Meats, orchestrated by Animal Liberation Tasmania and The Farm Transparency Project, comes in response to the release of hidden camera footage showing what they allege to be animal cruelty.
The campaigners say they are taking action to protest the state government’s “woefully inadequate response to evidence of profound suffering and a complete disregard for the wellbeing of the thousands of animals killed at TQM every day”.
Those participating intend to ask for five minutes with the animals to document their condition and to offer words of comfort before they are taken into the slaughterhouse.
They are demanding “immediate changes to Tasmanian slaughterhouse licensing”, as well as “harsher penalties for the slaughterhouses” exposed for severe animal abuse and illegal activity.
“This facility should have been suspended as soon as regulators saw the footage. The fact that it hasn’t shows an absolute disregard for the wellbeing of the animals being killed behind these walls,” a spokesperson said.
“If real change doesn’t happen soon, we will definitely consider returning and exposing more examples of the horror happening inside Tasmanian slaughterhouses.”
Primary Industry Minster Jo Palmer said while she has no issue with peaceful protests, she urged the activists to exercise common sense, respect and politeness.
“People have a right to protest peacefully but workers also have a right to be able to go to work and go home safely,” Palmer said.
“We’ve made it very, very clear and I personally have made it very, very clear that we will not, as a government, and I will not, as a minister, stand by and allow these sort of acts of cruelty against animals to continue to happen.”
“This has been a really disappointing time for us … because I don’t want to be part of a state where we are treating animals in a disrespectful and unkind way.”
Palmer said the state has to be “really protective” of the industry and the exclusive Tasmanian brand.
“We will put in place what we need to, to make sure history does not keep repeating itself,” she said.
“We need to do that because we want to be a state where our brand is that if you’re eating and consuming our meat, you can do that comfortably knowing that the animals have been treated respectfully and kindly and in a manner that all Tasmanians would expect them to be.”
