View all photos for this campaign in the photo gallery
The anonymously-supplied footage was captured in late 2019 at Lochaber Farm, a large intensive goat dairy in Meredith, Victoria, owned by the popular Meredith Dairy brand.
The practice, known as 'disbudding', aims to prevent the growth of the goats’ horns and is performed on days-old females (‘doe kids’) who are intended to join their mothers in the breeding and milking cycle. A hot iron is pressed into the kids' heads to kill the budding cells that would ordinarily grow into horns.
Though clearly cruel, disbudding is common on Australian goat farms and legally permissible due to an exemption for commercially-farmed animals in Victoria and other states’ animal welfare legislation.
Aussie Farms is calling on the Victorian government to remove this exemption, starting with a parliamentary petition (open to Victorian residents - please sign).
The footage comes less than a month after the animal agriculture industry colluded with the national charities regulator, the ACNC, to strip Aussie Farms of its charitable registration and related tax concessions.
This is just another well-kept industry secret that, as usual, has fallen on activists to expose. Self-regulation does not work, it’s time for our state governments – starting with Victoria – to take responsibility and close the legal loopholes that allow these and other horrible things to happen every day in Australian farms and slaughterhouses. Goats and other ‘livestock’ animals are no less capable of feeling pain and fear, no less capable of suffering, than our dogs and cats, and it’s time they were given the same protection under the law.
Businesses that use and exploit animals should no longer be able to do so in secrecy and legal immunity. Increasingly we’re seeing attempts by state and federal governments to stifle this kind of footage and information, to stop it reaching the consumers who unknowingly pay for this cruelty, yet there are no attempts to address the real issue of legalised and systemic abuse.
Learn more about Australian goat farming in our Knowledgebase.
View all 2 videos for this campaign in the video gallery
Cruelty and abuse are inherent to the animal slaughter industry, including meat, dairy, eggs, fur, wool and leather. Much of this cruelty is legal, due to exemptions in animal welfare legislation that specifically permit acts of cruelty towards farmed animals, that would be illegal if performed on dogs or cats.
The only way to truly stop cruelty to farmed animals is to stop eating them. Take the pledge today to leave animals off your plate and live vegan - be part of a growing movement towards a kinder, more sustainable world, and take a stand against industries that harm and exploit animals.
Monday 16 Dec 2019 by
Horrific hidden camera vision shows baby goats screaming in agony as their horn buds are burnt off with hot irons at a Victorian farm.
Monday 16 Dec 2019 by
Confronting footage of a farmer appearing to sear the budding horns off of baby goats as they squeal has emerged. The video was captured by a covert camera at a Victorian farm and provided to animal welfare group Aussie Farms.
Tuesday 17 Dec 2019 by
Hidden cameras have captured a farmer sawing off a baby goat's horns using a hot iron on a farm in Victoria. In a video, supplied to Daily Mail Australia by Aussie Farms, the baby goat is screaming in agony as smoke comes from its forehead.
We don’t need goats milk to enjoy amazing food! Over the past few years the range of vegan alternatives to old favourites has grown exponentially. For every animal product out there, a kinder alternative is there for us to choose instead! Making the choice to switch from eating animal based products to plant based ones easier than ever. This is a choice not only kinder for animals, it is kinder for our enviornment and our health too! Your dollar is your vote and you have the power to stop supporting this exploitative industry.
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Feta is a favourite among so many, and now there is a huge range of plant-based alternatives for you to choose from. Even the major supermarkets carry brands of plant-based feta! |
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The range of plant-based yogurts on the market has grown to epic proportions over the past year. Most plant-based yogurt alternatives can even be found in major supermarkets across Australia. |
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The variety of plant-based milks on the market is huge! This includes soy milk, almond milk, macadamia milk, rice milk, oat milk and hemp milk, just to name a few. |
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It doesn’t just stop at feta. There are a huge variety of plant-based cheeses on the market to suit any occasion. Whether your making pizza, creating a cheese platter, adding cheese to a salad, putting parmesan on your pasta or making a good old toasted sandwich, there is a delicious plant-based cheese out there to suit! |
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This is only a glimpse into the vast list of brands creating these amazing alternatives to animal-based products. We’ve made a list of a few for you to keep an eye out for:
As a small charity entirely reliant on private donations, we need your help to continue creating campaigns like this and to reach more of the people who need to see them.
This website serves as a free public repository, information centre and toolkit for consumers and animal advocates in Australia, intended to force transparency on animal-exploitative industries.
Farm Transparency Project does not condone or encourage the use of this resource for illegal purposes including trespass, or for any use contrary to our core values.
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