Midland Bacon is a northern Victorian piggery which has been repeatedly exposed for horrific abuse. It was inside the sheds at Midland where hidden cameras captured day-old piglets having their tails cut off with scissors, and the piggery's manager, Rick O'Reilly, killing unwanted 'runt' piglets by smashing their heads on the concrete floor. It was in these same sheds that Rick O'Reilly's son, Bradley, was caught on camera raping a sow, who was later named Olivia.
In January 2026, a planning application notice was published by Campaspe Shire informing the community that Midland Bacon was seeking to expand their operation. Currently, when pigs at Midland reach three months of age, they are sent to another farm to be grown to 'slaughter weight'. The piggery is planning to build another sow shed, plus two 'finisher sheds,' which would allow them to breed and raise pigs to six months of age and then send them straight to the slaughterhouse, where they will be brutally gassed to death. Documents confirm that Midland Bacon sends pigs to both CA Sinclair slaughterhouse in Benalla and Diamond Valley Pork slaughterhouse in Laverton. Footage captured at both facilities in 2023 show pigs screaming, gasping, thrashing and struggling to breathe for minutes as they slowly suffocate in the carbon dioxide gas chambers.
Why we oppose this
The expansion of Midland Bacon poses a serious risk to animals, people and the planet. Midland Bacon has a proven track record of cruelty and abuse to the pigs that they profit from. Additionally, allowing the piggery to expand threatens the habitats of animals and plants who live in the Mansfield Swamp Wildlife Reserve, which borders the piggery. The expansion of an intensive piggery directly opposes Campaspe Shire Councils own Environment strategy, which sets goals to conserve and protect water sources and native species. Finally, factory pig farms pose a serious risk to human health, a risk which would only be increased if this application were to be approved.
What you can do
It is vital that we act now to stop Midland Bacon from subjecting more pigs to violence and suffering. Campaspe Shire Council will be meeting on March 17 at 6pm to determine whether or not to approve the application. Members of the public can submit objections to the planning application until that time. It's important that objections are clear and provide details about why allowing Midland Bacon to expand would have a negative impact on the local area.
We encourage you to write and send your own objections to the planning application. If you need some help, we've prepared a template email below. All you have to do is click send! Alternatively, you can follow the instructions and official form provided by the council.
Update: April 2026
Sadly, despite thousands of objections, Campaspe Shire Council has voted in favour of granting the application.
