Dehorning and corruption

Hidden cameras installed at the cattle feedlot operated by former pig farmer Wally Perenc, near Yass NSW, have shone new light on the animal cruelty charges mysteriously withdrawn in 2014 by RSPCA NSW, and bolstered calls for the RSPCA to be stripped of its jurisdiction over farm animal cruelty.

The new footage depicts adolescent calves bellowing in anguish as their young horns are ripped off without pain relief, not 100 metres from the now defunct piggery made infamous by 2012 covert footage. Numerous animals are seen suffering from eye infections, respiratory issues and even blindness, while others lie dead or dying.

Speaking to another man helping him, Wally can be heard discussing the older footage and the resulting case against him: “Here, f**ken greenies come, video everything, showing how… killing pigs, with a hammer… went everywhere, all over the country. Our lawyer say, I just can’t help you, I just can’t help you… get f**ked you can’t help me! … But then I come to court, fella come, he was the prosecutor… come to me he says Wally, I heard you’re in a bit of trouble… I was killing pigs before, and I f**ken bribed them all!”

Though unclear precisely who he claims to have bribed, we believe the recorded confession adds to the sense of corruption surrounding the sudden and unexplained withdrawal of 53 charges of animal cruelty, including 12 counts of ‘aggravated’ cruelty, in 2014. In a statement at the time, RSPCA NSW attributed the decision to the reluctance of those who installed the hidden cameras to identify themselves, despite all 53 charges relating solely to the RSPCA’s own inspections and not relying in any measure on the original footage.

RSPCA NSW is afforded its powers to investigate and prosecute cruelty towards farm animals under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979, an Act administered by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI). A source within the RSPCA claimed that the Minister for Primary Industries at the time, Katrina Hodgkinson, had threatened to strip the organisation of these powers if it did not drop the charges.

Join us in calling for an end to the industry self-regulation of farm animal cruelty, in favour of establishing an Independent Office of Animal Protection in NSW, as a proof-of-concept for other states to follow. The move has already been recommended to the NSW Government by a recent Parliamentary Committee on Animal Cruelty Laws.

View all 9 videos for this campaign in the video gallery

Animals in NSW are not being protected because the same government department is responsible for animal welfare and animal industries, and our animal cruelty laws are being enforced by under-resourced and unaccountable charities.

That’s why we’re calling for a new, independent professional, government funded body with animal welfare and protection as its focus and mission: an Independent Office of Animal Protection.

Sign this petition to voice your support for an Independent Office of Animal Protection.

An Independent Office of Animal Protection would take on the role of developing policies, procedures, standards and guidelines for the protection of animals in NSW, as well as investigate animal cruelty complaints, enforce our animal protection laws, and prosecute those who harm animals.

Animals deserve a professional, empowered, resourced and independent agency to take on the role of animal protection, but we must act quickly to achieve our goal. The Animal Justice Party's MP Mark Pearson has successfully put an Independent Office of Animal Protection on the Parliamentary agenda, but we only have until December to convince the NSW Government to put his plan into action.

By signing this petition you’ll be calling on the NSW Government to ensure animals are properly protected under law, by supporting our recommendation for an Independent Office of Animal Protection.

• “I bribed them all” – Hidden cameras capture damning confession, ongoing cruelty in Wally’s Piggery case

  Media release: Monday 16 Nov 2020

  Hidden cameras installed at the cattle feedlot operated by former pig farmer Wally Perenc, near Yass NSW, have shone new light on the animal cruelty charges mysteriously withdrawn in 2014 by RSPCA NSW, and bolstered calls for the RSPCA to be stripped of its jurisdiction over farm animal cruelty, as detailed in the NSW Parliament by the Hon Mark Pearson MLC. The new footage, anonymously provided to animal protection organisation Farm Transparency Project (formerly Aussie Farms), depicts adolescent calves bellowing in anguish as their young horns are ripped off without pain relief, not 100 metres from the now defunct piggery made infamous...

• Why Animals Need an Independent Office of Animal Protection

  Sunday 15 Nov 2020 by Farm Transparency Project (editorial)

  Animals are being let down by the current institutions that are supposed to be in place to protect them. In order to begin moving towards a kinder future for animals, an Independent Office of Animal Protection must be established.
• What does RSPCA Approved Farming look like?

  Sunday 15 Nov 2020 by Farm Transparency Project (editorial)
• What is RSPCA 'Humane Slaughter'?

  Sunday 15 Nov 2020 by Farm Transparency Project (editorial)
• The five freedoms and the moral bankruptcy of the RSPCA

  Sunday 15 Nov 2020 by Farm Transparency Project (editorial)

  How does the RSPCA's approved farming scheme stack up against the five freedoms, a framework even the RSPCA believes to be redundant in meeting the complex needs of animals.
• Political stink over 'suffering' cattle at NSW farm

  Sunday 15 Nov 2020 by Caitlin Fitzsimmons (The Sydney Morning Herald)

  A NSW farmer who was the subject of an aborted RSPCA prosecution for animal cruelty at his former piggery is now running a cattle farm on the same property and stands accused of "even more egregious infliction of suffering".

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