Inghams Tahmoor Abattoir

Animal Liberation NSW obtained hidden camera footage from Inghams Turkey Abattoir in Tahmoor, near Sydney NSW. Over 136 instances of animal cruelty were recorded from cameras placed over the shackling area, where birds are unloaded from trucks and placed onto the shackling line to be killed. In the footage, workers were seen kicking and punching turkeys, and bashing them against the floor and the side of the truck.

The turkeys, weighing between 8 and 17kg each, were hung upside down by their legs on the shackles; their weight often caused their legs to rip from their bodies. Workers were seen tossing the legs around, and handheld footage from inside the facility at night showed that these legs had simply been left up on the rafters.

Five workers were sacked as a result of the footage, however anonymous reports have been received that similar incidents often occur at other Inghams poultry (turkey, chicken and duck) slaughterhouses across the country.

Following the widespread exposure, Inghams announced that they were installing CCTV cameras in all of their slaughterhouses, however the footage would only be monitored by management and not by any authorities or other third parties. Of course, in facilities with CCTV monitored only by management, there is a likelihood that for any incidents of welfare breaches caught on camera, the evidence would be quickly destroyed and not reported, as the company has nothing to benefit from reporting themselves to authorities. Rather, such cameras are likely in place to stop anyone from installing hidden cameras of their own.