Hidden cameras have now twice exposed the brutal slaughter of sheep without stunning at an illegal slaughterhouse in Melbourne's southeast, first in August 2019 and again one year later. The footage depicts fully-conscious sheep taking up to 5 minutes to die after their throats are hacked at with a knife, the butchered meat then packed into a car and driven off the property.
While animals farmed for food are generally exempt from legal protection against cruelty, this is a clear case of criminal abuse, and yet Agriculture Victoria has refused to lay charges or prevent the facility from continuing to operate - an inevitable consequence of allowing the industry to regulate itself.
This inaction serves as an open invitation to illegally abuse animals without consequence, and could lead to the proliferation of such illegal facilities across the state.
Join us in calling on the Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Jaclyn Symes MP, to force her department to act.